Comet PANSTARRS dazzles in the evening sky

Comet PANSTARRS is putting on a nice show in the evening sky. Even though it is located low in the west and is definitely affected by the brightness of the twilight sky, many observers have been able to spot it with the naked eye and small binoculars. My magnitude estimates place the comet around magnitude +1.5. This agrees with estimates made by other observers from around the world.

Here in Tucson, I first saw the comet on Sunday night. Though I first spotted it in 10×50 binoculars I was able to see it, with difficulty, with the naked eye. On Tuesday and Wednesday evening, the comet was much easier to see. Here in Tucson we are blessed with dry, clear skies so I the comet was relatively easy to spot with the naked eye.

On Tuesday night, a thin crescent Moon was located only a few degrees to the right of the comet. Salvador Aguirre of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico imaged the pair. His image comes very close to matching what the comet and Moon looked like to the naked eye. Note that the comet really only looks like a faint star with a hint of a tail. And this is under dry clear Sonoran skies. Anyone observing from locations with any amount of humidity and/or smog will have a much harder time to see the comet. This is why binoculars are a must for finding and enjoying the comet.

 

The following image was taken on the same night as Salvador’s by Bob Lunsford from Chula Vista, CA. This view closely matches what the comet looks like in small binoculars.

 

 

The view of the comet gets better in a telescope. Salvador also acquired a movie of the comet as it set through his telescope.

 

 

I was able to get a few images of the comet through my 12″ dobsonian. Unfortunately the telescope doesn’t have a tracking mount so I had to obtain a hundred or so very short exposures and co-add them.

 

 

The comet is slowly moving higher in the sky every night. This should make the comet easier to see though the comet will also start to fade as it moves away from the Sun. Also the Moon will start to become a problem as it gets brighter. For those who want to observe the comet please see Bob King’s finder charts at his Astro Bon blog.