viewing Lulin

[Brian W]

Hi all, excuse the beginners question but I hate to have to cock the hammer and then not fire.

NASA states that on Feb. 24 Lulin will be at its nearest and nearby to Saturn. Being as I am in the Philippines does that mean that it is actually the 25 for me?

They also have it listed on the 6 and I have the same question... is that the 7 for me?

Sorry to be so confused but sometimes my brain just doesn't work very well.
Brian:shrug:

[glenc]

Brian it won't make much difference to you.
Here are some numbers for UT: http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/iau/Ephemerides/Comets/2007N3_1.html
For Manila Lulin is 2d 50m from Saturn on the 24th and 3d 50m on the 25th at midnight.

[Brian W]

Ok then I go with NASA dates and set the alarm. Now if the clouds will just cooperate.

[glenc]

Here is a map of Lulin's path from SkyMapPro for the next 14 days at 2am UT+11.
I saw Lulin this morning with 20x80 binoculars. Lulin is at least twice the size of M3 but M3 has a higher surface brightness.
It will be near the mag 10 galaxy NGC 4697 on the 19th and 20th of Feb.
At midnight on 24/2 the comet will be 3d 20m from Saturn but Saturn will be 20 times more distant. (0.41 AU vs 8.42 AU)
The moon was nearby today but will move away soon.

[iceman]

I don't think i'll get to see it the way this weather is going!

[glenc]

Mike you might see it Thu or Fri or Sat morning.
http://ozforecast.com.au/cgi-bin/weather.cgi?location=Gosford.NSW&pagetype=forecast

[cookie8]

Is Lulin still expected to be brightest ( I know its closest)on the 24Feb and what mag? Anyone knows?

[Grich]

I know what you mean! The weather has been bad since the 8th of Feb, I'm hoping I can view Lulin soon.

[glenc]

It is supposed to brightest, mag 6, from 21/2 to 25/2.

[jjjnettie]

LesBehrens and I observed the comet this morning. Despite the close proximity of the moon I was surprised at how easy it was to find in the finderscope.
It was Les' first comet, I think he expected to see more than a moon washed fuzz ball.
Tuesday nights close pass to Spica should make a nice wide field view especially with the moon rising a few hours later.

[Mick]

I had a peek this morning at 2:30am as well, it was very easy to find even with the moon light. Using 7x50 binoculars I could see it clearly, it's quite bright but no tail was visible. I was glad to get this glimpse, it's the only clear night we've had in six weeks.

[Liz]

Just had a glimpse of Comet Lulin in 11x70 binoc - in same FOV as Spica, tho area still pretty light with nearby Moon. Lulin was very easy to see as a mod size fuzzball, no tail seen as area lit by Moon.
Still very happy to see it.

[Liz]

Able to catch another look at Lulin this am - she/it is scooting along ... very easy to spot in binoc, but time I dragged the scope over, the clouds rolled over. Will try again in half hour.
Was thinking I could see the hint of a long faint tail ??

[Arman]

When and where is Lulin visible. =)

When would it be the brightest? :D

[Liz]

Probably from about 12 am onwards, and is brightest next week on Feb 24th when closest to Earth.
Presently in Virgo, but moving fast.
Prob wont get too bright, but fun watching anyway. :)

[Arman]

Thank you.

[figgylion]

I had a look tonight, was quite obvious once I knew where to look. A fuzzy ball for me, a hint of tail ? Probably wishful thinking on my part but possibly.

[RobF]

Managed to sneak in another look tonight. Didn't look too different to earlier in the month to me - faint green fuzzball. Wasn't able to get any more than a 30sec pic between clouds. Still fun to see a decent comet whiz by!...

[glenc]

I had a look again with 20x80 binos this morning. Lulin definitely has a tail.
I think it is V shaped, the left part is about 1 degree long, the right part shorter.
It was starting to get light and was also hazy so I didn't get a good look.
The comet will be near the binary star gamma Vir tomorrow. (mag = 3.4+3.5, dist = 1.27", pa = 25) Four years ago this pair was 0.35" apart.
See post #4 below for a map of the comets path.

[rider]

Just before dawn the sky cleared for about 2 hours this morning, - first view of anything Ive had in months.

Lunin was bigger than I expected in 10x50 binos.

I'm glad I saw it, with a period of 49,435,956 years, I reckon I'll be getting impatient if I have to wait for the next loop.

rider2

[Liz]

Also saw it again about 3am - still cant see naked eye, but lovely and very easy in binoculars.

This from Spaceweather.com today

COMET LULIN UPDATE: Comet Lulin is approaching Earth and brightening rapidly. Observers say it is now visible to the naked eye as a faint (magnitude +5.6) gassy patch in the constellation Virgo before dawn. Even city dwellers have seen it. Backyard telescopes reveal a vivid green comet in obvious motion. Just yesterday, amateur astronomers watched as a solar wind gust tore away part of the comet's tail, the second time this month such a thing has happened. Lulin's closest approach to Earth (38 million miles) is on Feb. 24th; at that time the comet could be two or three times brighter than it is now. Browse the gallery for the latest images: http://spaceweather.com/comets/gallery_lulin_page8.htm

[Rob_K]

Observed it this morning through 12x50 binocs, but due to light cloud & smoke haze it was barely visible - just the faintest glow in averted vision.

Tried imaging it, but no real success with tail other than first sub, as the moon came up (glowing orange).

Salvaged a small gif showing movement in 40 min of just over 7 arcminutes. You can see conditions deteriorating frame by frame.

Cheers -

[Liz]

Great to see it moving along like that, Rob, and the first frame is a ripper :thumbsup:

[glenc]

Using the naked eye I estimate Lulin to be magnitude 5.5 now, about equal to the star 21 Vir (mag 5.47). Using a 12" Dob and an 8mm EP (field 25') I estimate the diameter to be 12'. The core is almost stellar. The tail is at least 80' long. It is brighter than the anti tail but narrower. The anti tail is about 50' long. I observed the tails with a 21mm EP with field 65'. The comet's movement with respect to a nearby mag 8.6 star was obvious. This image by Gregg Ruppel on 16/2 gives an idea http://spaceweather.com/comets/lulin/16feb09/Gregg-Ruppel1.jpg

[leinad]

We had the scopes out at Chittering, WA last night; and although the wind disrupted majority of the nights imaging, I was able to get a few 2min snaps ere and there of a few targets inc. Lulin.

Through the 20mm EP on 8" scope, Lulin stood out very bright.
attached a pic from the night. 2min ISO800(should have used lower ISO)

[Rob_K]

After imaging Lulin tonight, couldn't resist a bit of visual!

Looked through 12x50 binocs earlier, and saw a slightly off-round, reasonably bright glow. In scope with 21mm EP, it was quite bright and the nucleus was visible as a bright light point. As my eyes became more dark adapted (damned laptop! :P ) I could make out a faint tail on one side in averted vision. Later, thought I could see tail on both sides, averted vision.

Tried the 8mm eyepiece, and the comet was large with a dim coma – I also made it out at about 12' diameter, based on a roughly 30' FOV. The nucleus was very easily visible, contrasting with the dim coma. No sign of tail at this mag.

Finally, reasonably dark adapted, I tried naked eye – the only nearby bright star was mag 6.65, beyond vision with the less than excellent transparency, and I could see a tiny brightish spot in the comet position. Perfectly satisfied given the geometry that I could see Lulin and that it was easy naked eye.

Cheers -

[Outbackmanyep]

C/2007 N3 Lulin
My obs of N3 Lulin this morning:

2009 February 19.75 UT; m1= 5.5; Dia= 12'; DC= 5; 7x50 Binoculars
The comet showed a faint tail to the west, i was able to make it out to 40' (approx 3.5 coma dia's) and was glimpsed with the naked eye from my residence in Armidale.

[mozzie]

after weeks of cloud and rain i was eager to see lunin opened the pod quick look at saturn went to align lunin and in come a midnight thunder storm bloody hell closed up pod in discust and went back to bed re awoke at 3.30 bloody perfect skies lunin was visable naked eye a very nice sight no visable tail although threw my binos and view finder maybe something late last year mcnaught 2008 was a really nice sight early evening id put the 2 comets on par with each other for visual viewing
mozzie

[glenc]

Comet Lulin was mag 5.3 this morning the same as 7 Vir with the naked eye. The main tail was about 80' long, almost as bright as the comet to start with, tapering off from 10' wide to narrow and faint. The anti tail was faint and hard to see with a 10" Dob and a 80' field. I observed from altitude 800m.

[Quark]

Just came inside from my observatory with my wife and son after observing Comet Lulin. There was not a cloud in the sky and the seeing was 8/10.

It was very easy to locate with my 8 x 50 finder.
Observed with a 31mm Nagler in my 16" F4.5 scope. The TFOV for the 31mm Nagler in this scope is 83.5 arc mins. The comet was clearly visible to the naked eye, estimate it to be about mag 5.5. With the very bright nucleus on the Eastern edge of the FOV the tail extended beyond the FOV to slightly North of West. I would estimate the tail to be about 100 arc mins. The tail was quite well defined and relatively narrow, could not really make out an anti tail.
We all could detect it with the naked eye and it was about 20 degrees above our local Eastern horizon when we were observing it.

Regards
Trevor

[glenc]

I had a look at Lulin with 20x80 binocs at 1:45 am this morning (22/2 14:45 UT). The tail is about 2.5 degrees long in pa 110.
I suspect a very faint anti tail 45' long in pa 305. The comet is a naked eye object near beta Vir.

[Rob_K]

Here's a little animation I made of the comet moving past bright star Zavijava last night.
Cheers -

[Quark]

Well done Rob,

The anti tail seems quite prominent in your image, we didn't see it last night through the scope, probably needed a wider FOV to pick it up.

Regards
Trevor

[jjjnettie]

That's a terrific little animation.
Over what period of time was it taken?

[Robert9]

I'm very envious of all who have been able to peep at Lu Lu! Last night should have been excellent viewing for me. Nominally clear skies, no moon, no wind. But bush-fire smoke haze has just destroyed the skies, even at 4:00am.:shrug:

Robert

[glenc]

Notice the angle between the tails here http://site.caffeinatedastronomy.com/lulin.html

[Rob_K]

Thanks jjjnettie! The animation was over a period of 70 minutes, from just before midnight EDST (UT+11). Taken with a piggy-backed Canon 400D at 55mm, each of the 10 subs a 3 min exposure at ISO 1600, F/4.5.

Had a great time observing it on Saturday night at Bungowannah near Albury NSW with a group of local people. Watched it all night, from when it first cleared the horizon to when daylight washed it out on Sunday morning. Highlight of our night - easy naked eye, and we used everything from binocs up to an 18" scope to keep an eye on it! Each night it's been getting significantly brighter, but with wall-to-wall clouds at the minute I might miss its brightest!

Have attached a couple of versions of stacks of the images I took last night which clearly show the 'kink' in the ion tail. First is stacked in DSS, comet mode using Median stacking mode to reduce star impact, and second a Registax stack.

Cheers -

[Liz]

Thankyou all for reports and pics .... very envious as rain has set in again up here :rain: Keep up the great observations.

[jjjnettie]

Thanks for the extra info Rob.

[glenc]

Lulin is about mag 5.1 now (3:30 AEDT) , almost as bright as tau in Leo and the diameter is about 18'. The bright tail on the east side is 2 degrees long in pa 110. The very faint tail on the west side is 25' long in pa 300. I looked at it with 20x80 binoculars and a 10" Dobsonian.

[Liz]

Is the tail only visible in biniculars?? :rain:

[glenc]

With my eyes yes, but with good eyes you might see a bit of tail! The good thing about binocs is I can focus them.
I like the image by Conrad Pope here http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/highlights/35992534.html

[Liz]

Wow, thats a great image Glen, thanks :)

[Vartigy]

Anyone got some rough directions for best viewing time and where to look for it (approx vector from what object to what object (i dont know bearings yet)). For WA (particularly kalgoorlie if possible).
Or know where I can find that info?

[erick]

Aaron, can you find Saturn in the North Eastern sky around 11pm? Search around a bit "above" Saturn, perhaps a bit north of directly "above" Saturn, I think. You'll find the fuzzy ball in binoculars without much trouble.

[Davekyn]

Download stellarium (Free). I find it great for getting a bearing on where things are in the area you live. It does not have Lulin listed (not on mine) but with the many spotter maps in google you can use the planetarium software to help locate the constilations and best times to view.

I'll see how acurate it is, with Titans transit of saturn tonight as stellarium shows the moons passing in front of the planet as well. You simply have to zoom in is all. Great Program.

AAAAAAAArrrrrggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhh more clouds forming!!!!!!

[rider]

the heavens-above web site has a current position map, - then refer to stellarium as suggested in the previous post to get the big picture.

(basically its in the vicinity of Saturn at the moment.)

...or from my place you just look behind all the big clouds, and there it will be.

rider

[Vartigy]

Thanks Eric.
Yeh found a few diagrams showing path and reference points.

[glenc]

Eric face East at 10pm and Lulin is above Saturn, 20 degrees to the left of East and about 20 degrees above the horizon. Dark adapt for at least 5 minutes, keep away from lights and use your finder or binoculars to have a look.

[Barrykgerdes]

For those of you using Stellarium and have not already got it here is the necessary addition to the ssystem.ini file to locate it.

[lulin]
name = Lulin
parent = Sun
radius = 100
oblateness = 0.0
halo = false
color = 1.0,1.0,1.0
tex_halo = star16x16.png
tex_map = nomap.png
coord_func = comet_orbit
orbit_TimeAtPericenter = 2454842.1414
orbit_PericenterDistance = 1.212289
orbit_Eccentricity = 0.999987
orbit_ArgOfPericenter = 136.8614
orbit_AscendingNode = 338.5353
orbit_Inclination = 178.3730
lighting = false
albedo = 1
sidereal_period = 10401394706.0

Just look in the program files\stellarium\data for the ssystem.ini file open it with wordpad and paste the above data at the bottom of the file and then save.

Next time you start stellarium search for "lulin" and you will find it following on behind Saturn.

Barry

[Davekyn]

Thanks Barry,
Should of checked back here earlier for that. Good to know I can add things like that!:). Anyways we spent ages looking at the star next to Saturn wondering if that was it. Then we noted somthing like a globular cluster...LOL ...talk about newbies... It did not take long after that to realize that it was in fact Lulin. The more we looked the more we saw the tail, particularly with slight averted vision. Looked fantastic with a 2" 42mm EP in my 12" Dob. Very Bright & Sharp image with a tail that spread across the Fov.

I guess next time I go comet hunting, I'll look for globulars:)

[glenc]

At 1:30 am (UT+11) on 25/2/09 Lulin was magnitude 4.8 (the same as 58 in Leo with the naked eye) and diameter 15' at 190x with a 12" Dobsonian. The eastern tail was 2.1 degrees long in pa 115. The galaxy NGC 3604 (mag 12.4) was near the end of the tail but much more distant. The comet was 61.6 million km away, the galaxy 68 million light years. Hence the galaxy is 10 million million times more distant. The comet and tail were magnificent in 20x80 binoculars with their 3.2 degree field.

[Davekyn]

We were trying to see NGC3627, a galaxy 35 million ly away. No luck on that, but next time I'm camping out. It's amazing how long you can keep searching with a 12" Dob.

[erick]

Thanks for the code Barry. :thumbsup:

[toryglen-boy]

yeah, that was how i found it ... fuzzy ball, i must admit i was expecting it to be a tad brighter, but still a nice sight.

:)

[Davekyn]

I thought a lot of people would be disapointed as a few of my friends and others whom really don't star gaze where in a sense led to believe it was a much bigger event than it was. I half guessed it would not be as visible as rated. In fact at the dark site we were at, you still needed Bino's to find it and know how to read a spotters map.

I rated the Titan Transit as a bigger event, however did learn a little more as what to look for when searching for comets.

Is that how most comets show up but only fainter & smaller again as they get further away? Once we found it, we really enjoyed using all the equipment on hand to get the best views.

How big was it & what distance? Was it traveling away from the sun? Does the tail always travel in the same dirrection. Any good links to those questions.

[PeterM]

Hi Dave,
Never let the facts get in the way of a good story. Just about every media report of a comet that I have ever seen or contributed to in over 30 years (I was, along with Comet Guy a "flight astronomer" for TAA for Halley's comet in '86 - most people "saw something" at least after a few drinks) overstated the facts for the story and Lulin is no different. Every now and then though we have a winner such as McNaught that just inspires everyone. Often when interviewed by the media they use the best bits, add their own bits and dump the non sexy bits. But the plain facts are that this is a fine relatively bright comet that is nice in binos and as many of the pics now being posted show a very beautiful green comet. So the public expected a shooting green comet that lit the heavens, this will never change just run with it, and get the facts from Ice In Space and other credible sources - some answers to your questions can be found here http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/home/35992534.html
PeterM

[Davekyn]

WOW...Thanks Pete,
great link. Never been much of a runner but get what your saying. I've learnt heaps from being a memeber of IIS. Not the quickest learner on the block, but most people seem patient and willing to help.
Thanks...I want to start hunting comets now.

[glenc]

I have been lucky with no cloud again this morning.
With the naked eye Lulin has the same magnitude as the star 48 Leonis which is 5.1.
With 20x80 binoculars the dust tail seems wider but shorter than yesterday, 1.8 degrees long in pa 110.
The attached SkyMapPro map shows the length of the tail on 26/2 at 2:15 am (UT+11) through 20x80s.
I also saw some galaxies in the area with 20x80s: M95, M96, M105, NGC 3371 (mag 10.9), M65, M66 and NGC 3628.

[Davekyn]

Impressive Glen...I’m going in to get my eyes tested! Is that the normal with a basic pair of 20X80’s...what Pair of Binos were those? Could you actually see more than a smudge, as in a slight shape to the smudge? May I ask how old you are as well...just thinking of the possibility of upgrading and weather its worth is. Were you well aware of all those targets from having looked with a bigger instrument prior to spotting them with you 20X80s. Well done!
Thanks for sharing that;)

[glenc]

The binoculars are from Andrews.
http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-section-11.htm Giant 20 X 80 TRIPLET, semi-APO binoculars, $199.00 AUD
I knew where the galaxies were before hand, some are more than a smudge (M66, M96) and some are difficult (M95, NGC 3628). I am 58, I lie on a lounge, rest my head on a reclining backrest, rest my elbows on armrests and hold the far end of the binoculars.
My lounge is here: http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=16034&d=1156281094

[Davekyn]

I think your some kind of Zen Master with Bino's Glen :). I'm yet to view some galaxies with my 12" Dob, so feel some what embarrassed. The weather has been real crap around these parts since i got the damn thing, or at least when I get time of work.

Seriously, I would really like to pull off some obs like that with a pair of bino's too. I guess the challenge puts a whole new perspective on star gazing & perhaps even gives a new found respect for what smaller instruments can do.

Cheers Glen ;) ...............sorry to be off topic, my apologies.

[Snorkel]

Here is very nice Lulin animation, captured by Tom Carrico on the SBIG users group:

http://www.ccdargo.com/lulin.gif

[WadeH]

First cloud free night for three or so nights.

Set up the 30X100 binos for a quick look at comet Lulin tonight, did not expect to much. Wow! Great view, the lenght from head to tip of tail about two degrees, (or the entire FOV for thes binos). And very well defined.

Dark adaption is a must, at least 5 min I found, just long enough for a nice cup of tea.

Used the time adapting to have a look at M44 The Beehive, Galaxies M65 and M66, and I think M105 (the nearby stars matched the chart from memory) very faint however.

The quick look developed into about 1 hr. :whistle:

[glenc]

With 20x80s Lulin's dust tail was 1.7 degrees long in pa 110 at 2:15 am AEDT on 27/2. The comet is on the left of mag 3.8 rho Leonis.
Lulin will be near Regulus for the next two nights and near M44 on 6/3 and 7/3.
After the 11/3 full moon the comet will be near the PNe NGC 2392 on 15/3 and 16/3.

[Liz]

Noticed a few stars outside so out for a look at Lulin - hadnt seen for > a week, and was brighter than when I saw it last.

In binoc the tail was very evident, and looked amazing!! I cant remember seeing a tail of a comet before in binoc, but must have waaay back. It was a beautiful sight.

Took a few pics, then a quick look through the scope, then the clouds rolled in.

Noticed about 3 swift, short meteors tumbling down through Leo as well, in about 10 minute period??

[iceman]

Anyone have a recent finder chart showing Lulin's position?

[WadeH]

Here are Starry night screen charts for the next two nights. Last night it was really easy to find and nice and bright, so hopefully these nights will be no different. Bino's terrific.

These shots are for 22:00 AWDST.

[glenc]

Mike, here it is for midnight AEDT till 29/3 thanks to SkyMapPro.

[AstroTourist]

Great view of Lulin from 200km west of Brisbane overnight - dark, cloud free, some moisture in the air 11PM thru to 3AM (plenty of time to dark adapt).
Comet clearly visible naked eye with tail.
Support Glen's comments. Simply stunning in 20x80 binos with approx 2 deg of tail.
Took a series of images as it slid past rho Leonis and want to put them into an animation.
Anyone any good tips for rolling DSLR images into an animated gif?

Terry

[MortonH]

Finally got a look at Lulin last night. There was a lot of cloud around so I just set up my Megrez 90 on the balcony. Managed to get some fleeting glimpses until the clouds opened up for a while around 11:30pm. No tail really visible due to light pollution but a nice coma with bright nucleus. Tried using a deep sky filter to improve the contrast but it also dimmed the view of course - no substitute for a dark sky.

Unlikely I'll be able to get away from the city in the next few days so that's probably the best I'll see of it. I'll just live vicariously through other people's photos!

Morton

[glenc]

Lulin's tail was about 1.75 degrees long in pa 110 with 20x80 binoculars at 10pm AEDT on 27/2.
With the naked eye the comet was nearly as bright (maybe mag 4.8) as the star 31 Leonis (mag 4.4).

[GrahamL]

hi glen:)

nice and bright in the 9x63s tonight and easy to find .. woke the wife up for a peak as well.

[Analog6]

Glen

Thanks for the sky map to 29 march, just what I needed.

[Liz]

Had another look last night (still clear skies :)) ... what a beautiful comet, tho they are all bful. I thought that the tail seemed to have widened a bit up around head of comet ?? (in binoc).
Mag 4.8 Glen ... thats great, thank you.

[glenc]

Lulin's tail is longer tonight, March 1, about 2.1 degrees in pa 110 at 1:30 am AEDT (UT+11). The tail might be longer than 2.1 deg but Regulus gets in the way with a 3.2 degree field on my 20x80s. The tail definitely extends to the mag 7.1 star HIP 49328.
Comet Lulin is still about mag 5. Nice and clear here tonight with a warm dry westerly blowing.

[Robert9]

You lucky so and sos. Lulin has been a total failure in Melbourne due to smoke haze. Barely visible even in an 8"DOB. Just the faintest image of a wisp of nothingness.
Robert

[kiwidoc66]

Does anyone have a mag estimate for tonight? First clear night in Christchurch for a while and I managed to see Lulin east of M44 with 7x50s. Looked faint, no tail visible, though right over city, so quite a lot of light pollution

[Outbackmanyep]

Hi all, those concerned with a mag for the comet, try finding a 4.5 or 5 star and defocus the star till its around 10' to 15' diameter and you'll see what the comet is supposed to look like. The mag estimates are not based on galaxies or globular clusters, but on defocussed stars!

Hope this helps trying to find out if you can see the comet in light polluted areas, if you defocus a mag 5 star to the diameter i mentioned and the light from the star is extiguished from view then you'll need to find a darker sky!

Cheers!

[sherm]

I just came in from having a go at Lulin in 10X50s.
05:50 UT, March 5 (01:50 local AST) minus 10 deg C, nippy NW breeze blowing, nice darksky location with Lulin about 30 degrees up in SSW, but Quarter Moon is still present in the WNW, putting a fair amount of light into a slightly hazy sky.

The view does not compare with the great view I had on Feb 27th under clear, dark sky and no moon. It stood out even to naked-eye. No naked-eye view tonight, Moonlight is affecting the contrast greatly.

The one strong point of interest is seeing Lulin in same field as M44, about 3 degrees separation, comet east and a bit below the BeeHive. That is nice to see. With a little averted imagination I only make out about 0.5 degree tail. Binocular out of focus mag estimate, at best 6.0 (using HIP43957 (6.2), 63 Cancri (5.7) and HIP43427 (6.4)).

Perhaps when the moon drops I'll get up and have another look, it will be a little closer to M44 too.

Sherm

[Astro78]

Well well, Lulin has been elusive for me twice now...:sadeyes: Had a 15min gap between the trees and considering the Eskimo nebula was there at mag 10, how did i miss Lulin?

:help:

PS: Using stellarium with some data i copied and pasted - I'm resolving to this being incorrect (feeling much better with that unlikely conclusion already ;) )

[glenc]

Lulin is 2.2 degrees to the right of NGC 2392 at 8:30 AEDT tonight. It will be just 21' NW of the PN on 15/3.

[Astro78]

Thanks Glen :thumbsup:

I see my error :screwy:

[glenc]

I looked at Lulin with 20x80 binoculars last night before moonrise at about 8:30 AEDT. The comet was about magnitude 8, no bright core and a very short tail. The comet in 20x80 binoculars was similar to M44 (mag 3.1) to the naked eye.