55 replies to this topic

[Chris K]

It's been so cloudy and rainy here. I had two opportunities to try from my house. Both with 8x42 and 60mm @45x. Super easy to locate but just a faint spot in the light pollution. I may have run out of time to get a better look at it.

[WillR]

For me in two sizes of binocular and the telescope, a bright central core with a large coma that had no discernible direction, just surrounded the core.  If you can spot it on a few consecutive nights, you will know you saw it, because it is moving at a clip. Far brighter than any galaxy except maybe M31. Nothing like it nearby.

 

It's now getting high up in the evening and better positioned than a few weeks ago. Here's a chart.

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Edited by WillR, 29 January 2023 - 09:42 PM.

[GGK]

I found the comet last night by just scanning the sky with the NP101is at 4.5 degrees field.

It was very unspectacular due to a bright half moon and generally poor sky conditions. It resembled a large unresolved globular cluster as described in earlier posts. Basically a dim fuzzy patch.

I think I’ll head out early morning to take a look without the moon.

Gary

[rutherfordt]

Here in East Tennessee, the comet was easy in binoculars Saturday night around 9:30 PM EST-- also easy in my 8-inch f/6 Newtonian.  There were high cirrus clouds moving in though and so no hint of color through either instrument and no discernible tail-- as several have mentioned, it was just a gray blob (though a fairly large one).  Clouds came in an hour or so later and remain in the forecast for the next several days.

[dave253]

So it’s looking like we’re going to have to wait until around mid February to see it here, hopefully the clouds are gone.

[UnityLover]

I will be able to see it for almost the entire week. Ill probably find it and when I do, Ill take a photo and sketch it! On the fifth it will be near capella. Will be at the dew point tonight but that shouldnt be a problem with my pockets.

Edited by UnityLover, 30 January 2023 - 10:32 AM.

[GGK]

Had another look at the comet this morning just before 5am.  This time with the AT60ED.  No moon, but plenty of skyglow looking low to the north from 26.5^o latitude.

 

I started with a 23mm XW85, then went to a 13mm Ethos, but saw no more than the round smudge described accurately above as a large unresolved globular cluster shape.  On a whim, I tried the 3.7mm Ethos to see if I could get any shape at ~100X, but I saw very little change.  Maybe I saw a little more of a horseshow shape, but only with averted vision.

 

The comet looked a little better in this morning's darker skies than it did two nights ago in the moonlit sky, but I think maybe it's too low on the northern horizon for me to see any more detail.

 

Gary

[theskywatcher]

Saw it last night (Monday Jan. 30) using my Maven 8x32 monocular to spot it.  Then used my APM 45 100 binoculars for a better look.  Still no tail seen and no color to me just yet.  The moon is way too bright for a great comet view.  I think there's no moonlight on Feb. 6.  So there's hope yet for a better look.

[ngc6352]

In suburban skies with the moonlight, it is an elliptical fuzzball in 15x70 binocs (mounted).

[Nankins]

I may have to wait until mid February to get a very good look. Granted it will be further away, but the moon won't be in the evening skies. I will have to use my telescope.

[UnityLover]

I saw the comet in a club member's 6-8 in scope. Looked similar to a nasa image of m87 but the nucleus was smaller.

[Polyphemos]

My wife and I observed the comet through a 102mm StellarVue from a reasonably dark site on the 28th of January.  The brighter nucleus was apparent around a faintly green and fuzzy dimmer ball, but we didn’t observe a distinct tail.  Since then we’ve looked at it several subsequent evenings through 8x40 Canon Extreme binoculars from our light polluted back yard with considerable additional light from the waxing moon, and it appeared to us as a colorless smudge devoid of structure. Still cool, though.

[SteveH71]

This what I saw through a 114mm a few mornings ago.
Yes the comet will look like a faint fuzzy smudge.
Edit to add: this is from a suburban area, with an interstate directly below the area of the comet.
Somyou may indeed see it a bit better.

ACB92127-538D-4C64-9FB3-F5DB0B1B2F62.jpeg

This is what I saw too last weekend through my 130mm Newtonian. Weather has not cooperated all week to take another look.

Edited by SteveH71, 04 February 2023 - 08:41 AM.

[Dpasqa]

This what I saw through a 114mm a few mornings ago.

Yes the comet will look like a faint fuzzy smudge.

Edit to add: this is from a suburban area, with an interstate directly below the area of the comet.

Somyou may indeed see it a bit better.

 

ACB92127-538D-4C64-9FB3-F5DB0B1B2F62.jpeg

I’ve seen it around 4 times over the last week or so. This photo shows it a little better than my eyes. For me it looks like this without the bright core in the center. I was very disappointed til I stopped and thought about it. My conclusion was, as bad as it looks, at least I saw it. It reminds me of Neowise, I didn’t see any detail on that one either. Bottom line, I saw something that no one has seen in 50,000 years. I am simply happy being able to see it. It is the second comet I’ve ever seen, there is so much mystery to them, I love it. 

[Sketcher]

Yes, this comet looks like a fuzzy smudge; but it may be possible for some to see some added detail.  I saw a tiny bit of tail in one direction from the coma and a small bulge in the coma about 90 degrees from the position of that tiny bit of tail.  Also, the pseudo-nucleus, off-set a bit from the center of the fuzzy smudge, was (quite easily) visible.  Oh, and I almost forgot, also visible was a very distinct and obvious greenish color.  These details are based on my observations (including notes and a sketch) of this comet conducted with 25x100 binoculars on the morning of January 31 -- after moon set and before the beginning of astronomical twilight -- from a seriously dark sky.

 

The key here is the "seriously dark sky"; but observer experience may also be a factor. I use to hunt comets and made a point of "checking out" many of the comets that reached the visibility thresholds of my equipment.  So I've made observations and sketches of many comets, and I have some idea of what kind of details to look for and what they're likely to look like.  As with any other type of visual astronomy, with more experience, one will see more.

 

I've found it somewhat surprising that so many people have been trying to see this comet while a bright moon is illuminating the night sky.  On the other hand, I took a look at this comet under bright moonlight once as well -- due to no other options at the time; and since I had not seen it prior to that point in time.  So, perhaps this isn't quite as surprising as I make it out to be.  Nevertheless, the view under a seriously dark sky is far better than the views under a light-polluted sky.  If at all possible (and I know it's not possible for many) if one wants the best view of this comet then one should strive to get to a location as far from the light glows of cities and towns and, of course, observe from a location where no artificial lights are visible -- and then plan the observation for a time when the comet is relatively high in one's sky, when the moon is below one's horizon, and when the sun is far enough down to eliminate twilight glows.  This is what I do -- whenever possible.  And yes, quite often it's not possible achieve this ideal observing environment.  So we each have to make do with the best observing environment that we can achieve.

 

And with all of that being said:  Yes, this comet is still going to be little more than a featureless fuzzy smudge for most of us.  There have been many better (as well as many worse) comets in the past, and they'll be many better (and yes, many worse) comets in the future.

Edited by Sketcher, 05 February 2023 - 01:40 PM.

[ngc6352]

IMHO this comet was a good imaging comet as I saw several good images from local

AP experts .  As a visual comet, not so much.  As with most comets, it was over-hyped.

[CarolinaBanker]

I went out under admittedly suboptimal conditions last night, astronomical twilight to just after astronomical dusk with some thin, high clouds that were beginning to thicken, it looked like a smudge, nucleus was brighter. I found it with my TV 24 wide angle and then swapped it for my 12mm.

[Richie2shoes]

I volunteer with a local VA.  We put an observatory on site and use NINA to feed the images to a 65" monitor for the vets to observe.  I went out the other night to find the comet for them.   Keep in mind that I am not an astrophotographer and know nothing about post-processing images.  Both of these are 5.5 sec exposures.  

 

Edited by Richie2shoes, 05 February 2023 - 05:05 PM.

[UnityLover]

I saw it myself tonight. twas bortle 7 and a full moon. I could barely make out its long "alt tail" and it was elongated.

[No N in collimation]

One of the sources said it would be by Capella tonight (Sunday 2/5), so I couldn't resist, and sure enough, there it was just to the NE of Capella, blurring away. Saw it with an 8" Dob between clouds. 

 

 

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[RobertMaples]

...

I've found it somewhat surprising that so many people have been trying to see this comet while a bright moon is illuminating the night sky...

I think one of the reasons is with it being at it's closest and brightest on February 1st or 2nd, many of the news articles about it read as if that's the best time to see it, not taking into account the moon.  I suspect a lot of the more prolific viewers are pretty much constantly aware of the moon's phase, but I also would be willing to bet many of the more casual viewers don't pay a whole lot of attention to it.  I know for myself, while I will occasionally plan ahead viewing time and will definitely pay attention to the moon's cycle then, most of my viewing is spur of the moment and I don't have any idea what phase the moon is in until I go out and check the conditions unless I just happened to notice it earlier.

[theskywatcher]

Saw it again last night, Sunday Feb. 5.  Still just a dim gray smudge in my 20x50 Pentax binoculars.  No tail and no green color.  I viewed it while sitting in a shadow - the moonlight didn't shine on me since I was blocking the moonlight with my perimeter wall and my neighbor's house.  So the moon was still low.  But the moon was very bright and had I viewed the comet an hour later, it would have been a worse view due to the moon.

[Pingu]

Took a gander myself a couple nights ago thru the LX90. Used a Celestron 32mm plossl to see a fuzzy smudge without tail. I believe to be in a bottle 7/8.

[theskywatcher]

Saw it again Monday night, Feb. 6.  Not much different-looking than the previous night.  Used my Pentax 20x50 binoculars.  Still just a dim gray smudge.  Not bright, not green, and no tail seen.  Viewed it before the moon came up which would have made viewing even worse.  There was a lot of media hype about this comet, and maybe some saw green or their photos showed the green color.  Even still, happy just to see it.

[Dave Mitsky]

I observed C/2022 E3 (ZTF) again on Monday night from the orange-zone Naylor Observatory using my Canon 15x50 IS binocular, an 80mm finder scope, a 5" finder scope, an 8" Hardin Dob, a 12.5" Cave Astrola, and a 17" classical Cassegrain. It was a bit difficult to see with the 15x50 and I was unable to detect the comet at all using one of the observatory's 8x40s.  I obtained SQM-L readings of 18.3 to 18.4 mpsas when I sampled the area where the "Green Comet" was located.

 

The comet displayed noticeable movement in a span of 5 minutes when I was viewing it through the 17" classical Cassegrain at a magnification of 324x.

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