38 replies to this topic

[Dave Mitsky]

The comet's estimated magnitude varies quite a bit depending upon the observer.
 

https://www.cobs.si/recent

[ShaulaB]

I barely detected it at 3:30am Sunday morning when it was just SW of Bellatrix. 8x42 binocs.

[epenna]

On the night of 11/15/20, from Glendale CA, Bortle 8.5, I was able to just barely perceive the comet in a 10" dob, using averted vision. No details visible, just a vague sense there was brightness where it was supposed to be inside a crowded star field in my eyepiece.

 

I looked where it should have been, and with effort, I sensed it. 

[Redbetter]

I observed the comet on Saturday and Sunday nights in 21.1 and 21.25 MPSAS conditions as it approached and passed Bellatrix.  It was easy to find in the ST80.  With the 20" at 81x I estimated the extent of the coma as about 1/4 degree.  It exhibited the typical strong brightening around the core and fell off rapidly from there.  Some weak elongation was observed, but this one doesn't sport a strong fan or prominent tail. 

 

This comet should be visible in moderate levels of light pollution with a comet filter, although I have not tried in town yet.  It responded well to the comet filter when I was observing in Bortle 4/3 conditions on Saturday.  In the past I have found those that respond well to this filter are decent candidates for suburban detection.   It does seem to have some of that tell-tale green color visually.

[Thomas Ashcraft]

COMET C/2020 M3 NOV 17 2020  0422 UT  single 15 second exposure. New Mexico

Attached Thumbnails

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[Dragon Man]

I finally had a clear night here in Australia so I did a quick capture of Comet Atlas - C/2020 M3

 

11 separate frames at 20 seconds each, animated in Animation Shop. Each frame is about 3 minutes apart 

Captured with IMX178 camera in ToupSky software and a 150mm Reflector on an EQ6 Atlas Mount. 

 

Link: https://postlmg.cc/nXQb1fN1

[Stardust Dave]

Observed the Comet last evening in from home Bortle 4 location in 13" at 70X 124X and 200X.
Waited for it to get up about 50 degree alt.  NELM about 6. at Zenith transparency 3/5 seeing 4/5.

 

I did see what was a very slight tinge of green , and the noticed the elongation of the Comet at higher power.
At 124X panning back and forth in azimuth I thought I detected a faint hint of tail.

 

What I perceived looked a little less obvious than the pic in post above.

Would like to try a Comet filter, had been curious about them since Lumicon came out with that swan band Comet filter.

 

 Redbetter, what make of filter are you using?

Edited by Stardust Dave, 19 November 2020 - 11:13 AM.

[NYJohn S]

I viewed this again last night 11-18-20 at 11:20pm EST with my 4" refractor. I feel like it's getting a little more difficult each time I view it. Don't know if it's fading or if the transparency was better for my earlier views. The best views were at 44x & 81x. There were quite a few 11th & 12th mag stars close to it that were on the edge of resolving. That made it harder to differentiate between them and the diffuse coma of the comet. It was not much more than a faint round diffuse area with a slightly brighter concentration towards the center. My skies are Bortle 5 and the comet was 49º above the horizon. 

 

I viewed it 2 days earlier with my AT72 when it was between Bellatrix & Collinder 69. That was an interesting view at low power. Last night it was closer to Collinder 69 but at low power I couldn't detect it. Still it was a nice opportunity to observe the open cluster while there.

[johnpd]

I took another peek at it at about 2am MST. It was 70 degrees up and not too difficult to find using my 16x70 binoculars although it seemed to have lost a little brightness since last weekend when I took the image and also viewed it with my binoculars. It was much lower in the sky then.

 

JohnD

Edited by johnpd, 20 November 2020 - 04:09 AM.

[Redbetter]

 

Would like to try a Comet filter, had been curious about them since Lumicon came out with that swan band Comet filter.

 

 Redbetter, what make of filter are you using?

It is a Lumicon purchased new after the sale of the company, but was most likely old stock.  

[Redbetter]

Caught it tonight in town using the ED80, mediocre transparency.  I tried a different night in town with the 72ED but left the scope out too long and realized the objective was somewhat dewed up after noticing dim stars, then when I got my bearings in the ED80 in its place, thin haze moved in on cue to likewise dim stars and obliterate extended objects.

 

Anyway, tonight I was pretty sure I was seeing it immediately with a 35Pan without any filter (17x and 3.7 TFOV), but it was a very faint and small haze.  Adding the comet filter darkened the field and made the faint haze standout a bit better with some grad brightening to the middle.  I repeated with a 20T5 Nagler for 30x, and  2.6 deg TFOV and this gave a somewhat better view, particularly with the filter.   The comet was to the south west of a 6th magnitude  and west-northwest of a tight triangle of 8/9 mag stars.  

Edited by Redbetter, 22 November 2020 - 03:44 AM.

[John Carlini]

We had clear skies on the 18th and I imaged the comet above the Orion Constellation before high wind gusts shut down the observing session.

 

 

 

[Thierrys]

I observed this comet yesterday using my 5" refractor from bortle 5-6 skies. It was very dim and diffuse at 27 to 75x. Best seen with averted vision.

[Stardust Dave]

Observed Atlas from my home Borlte 4 skies 23:30 - 01:00 hrs PDT.  

40F 75%RH DP 37F  transparency 3/5 seeing 4/5.

Less than ideal conditions , Moon was still up 15 degrees in the West but hidden by my house.

 

Naked eye as limited to abut 5th in the area of the Comet , with the Moon being nearly 90 degrees to the West.

 

Comet Atlas was first picked up in 8"SCT's 7X50 finder nestled in the center of 3 5th mag stars in Collider 65.

Comet barely noticeable in the finder.  Was fairly large in the EP at 60X , but poor contrast . 

 

Had set up 4.5" ballscope alongside  and found at 30X the Comet to have better contrast , presentation at that mag in the smaller scope compared to the 8"SCT

 

Very diffuse no central brightening either scope. 

Was too tired to stay up to get Moon entirely out of the way.

Edited by Stardust Dave, 24 November 2020 - 01:13 PM.