Starlog July 13th, 2020, 9:40 p.m. local time
Tonight was the first time I ever saw a comet. I missed Halley’s as a kid in 1986, due to a combination of factors – location, light pollution, and simply not having the freedom as a youth to make the needed, determined effort. I completely missed Hale–Bopp in 1995. That was during my college years and probably the low point for my interest in astronomy.
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So tonight was special for me, like the first time I saw any of the notable objects via a telescope. Using my binoculars on this completely clear evening, I scanned several times near the Northwest horizon. I finally found it, already falling downward into the distant treeline.
After observing the comet for a few minutes, I immediately went inside to draw roughly what I saw. My crude sketch is attached, but I feel it a fairly good approximation, and better than nothing, at the least. The comet’s core was bright, yet I could only see a thin faint trail behind it. This is in contrast to the many photographed images thus far, which show the comet’s tail as an aura starting around the comet itself. I could not see the comet unaided.
I hope over the next few weeks to photograph the comet, clear evening skies willing.
Relevant observation and drawing info:
- Celestron binoculars, 8×56, Fov 5.8
- iPad Mini using Procreate and Apple Pencil
- Color inversion in PaintShop Pro
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