FreeLists / az-observing / [AZ-Observing] Comet Machholz near the Pleiades

["Steve Coe" <stevecoe@xxxxxxxxx>]

Howdy all;
 
I just took a quick look at Comet Machholz near the Pleiades.  I can see
the comet, just barely, with the naked eye from my backyard near 7th
Street and Thunderbird in Phoenix.  I can see 6 stars of the cluster and
the comet is more easily seen with averted vision, so when I look at the
Pleiades, the comet stands out nicely.  Seeing as how I can't see the
Andromeda galaxy from my backyard, I will guess that the comet's overall
magnitude is 3 to 3.5.
 
Using a pair of 8X42 binoculars provides a very nice view.  The comet
shows a nice bright center and it is a bit greenish, even in this poor a
viewing situation.  I look forward to some photographs of this nice
comet and I hope to take a few of my own this weekend.  We shall see.
 
Clear Skies to us all;
Steve Coe

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