Seeking Comet Lulin

It is an unexpected clear night, and it is cold: 17 degrees (F). Between the temperature, recent snows, and being tired it did not make a lot of sense to either set up a telescope (in my situation*) or drive to the Observatory to look for the green comet Lulin (C/2007 N3). I did want to see it, however, and it would be easy to spot since bright Saturn and Lulin were to be very near each other in the sky.

Even with a relatively clear sky the light pollution of our suburban area is bad. Only the brightest stars and planets were visible this night: Venus was brilliant in the twilight and for a couple of hours after sunset, as it has been all winter. Now Saturn rises at a decent hour and tonight was well above the southeastern horizon in the great constellation Leo and, due to its golden color, was easily found. Leo was difficult to make out so I'm glad I didn't depend upon it!

Standing in my winter coat and pajama bottoms --yes, it's 17 degrees-- I aimed my 10 x 50 binoculars at Saturn. The brilliant dot floated in the visual field. I couldn't make out the planetary disk but nearby, and to Saturn's south and west, was a faint, diffuse, oblong cloud -- Comet Lulin. Invisible here to the unaided eye, it's being estimated at between magnitude 5 and 6. No nucleus was visible and no color noticeable. That should not be surprising given less than ideal base sky conditions, light pollution, and the small-aperture binoculars.

Still, I saw the comet as it is passing closest to Earth. And I got out under a "clear" sky with an optical instrument for the first time in months! It has been a long, cold, snowy, and cloudy winter and I'm hoping conditions improve soon. Our first public night for the year is set for March 7 when we'll be looking at Saturn -- the rings will be edge-on this year which is a rare sight.

And maybe I'll get a better look at that little green fuzz-ball Lulin. You never know!

* I've only purchased equatorial, tripod-mounted refractors til now. For occasions like this, however, a nice Dobsonian-mounted reflector would be great as a grab-and-go telescope. Hmmm.... is there room in my basement?

Barely an observation

I attended a meeting of the Aurora Astronomical Society (AAS) outside Aurora, Ohio Saturday night, June 7. They had a brief meeting, mostly it was intended for non-members and as an introduction to the night sky. Inside the pavilion of the Moebius Nature Center a presentation was given using Starry Night software as a flat-wall planetarium. Once the sky darkened enough we adjourned to the parking lot where several members had set up their telescopes for a star party. A student brought his homebuilt Dobsonian-mounted reflector, a Meade-branded Dobsonian was also there, and one Meade SCT was set up. We viewed the crescent Moon, Mars (very near the Moon this night), and Saturn, all close together in the western twilight. The day had been cloudy but there was a brief period around sunset that allowed those views with fair, hazy, seeing conditons. Typically the Moon was most affected by the thin, high clouds, Saturn was clear and bright, and Mars was too tiny at this point to present any detail. Had to leave before the sky darkened enough for deep sky objects but it was a good evening anyway. The sky closed in again anyway as we headed home.