Another possible comet 15P/Finlay

[kerrylewis]

According to this article the comet has brightened and is right next to Mars. Worth a go

http://spaceweather.com

Kerry 

[mjpfc]

Thanks for this Kerry,

                       I'll have a look at a chart and try to find where the SKY currently is...finding Mars should be a doddle after that.

Pip Pip

Mick

[mjpfc]

Just come-in from Looking at Mars and Findlay.

        Mars was very low over the houses to my SW as darkness deepened so I got the 8" out of the shed pronto.

I had to battle with lights from neighbours and my own house *discord at Christmas) as well as the murk, and needed

to darken the sky with some mag before I could make out a shapeless smudge approaching Mars from the left hand side

near a 10th magt star.

It looked a lot dimmer than mag 9, but is spread out so it probably would. No brighter centre was apparent in the short-time I had with it,

The thing set all too quickly so I ran upstairs with my 8cm with a 6mm lens in it. 

To be honest though, hanging out of the back window of a centrally heated house in winter with a small reflector and high mag suprisingly did not produce anything worthwhile apart from the fickering of Mar's disc.

So a faint, smeared smudge looks like all I'm getting of Comet Fiddly at the moment, unless I can get the 8" up on the Kitchen roof.

At least it's outside and cooling now for when Lepus passes through the gap to my south later - Come on Q2

Mick

[kerrylewis]

Interesting Mick

I tried with the Dob but no luck. It's not a good direction for me but Mars and surrounding stars were clear but no comet. I was using low mag to give me a god FOV but perhaps I should try higher mag as you suggest. Better luck tomorrow? What's the date again?

[Pete Presland]

nice "heads up" very interesting!

[mjpfc]

It is quite close to the planet Kerry,

                       It was not quite "in the glare" but not far from it, and may be closer this eve.

                       Also it looked a lot fainter than reports have been saying (to me anyway)

Mick

[kerrylewis]

Cheers Mick. I've left the scope out for another try this evening although the forecast is not so promising now

Kerry 

[mjpfc]

Evening Kerry,

   By the time that we had stopped messing about with something that these earthlings call " Quizmus Dinar" which

involves a lot of stress, shouting, and finaly an attempt to bust one's digestive tract, Mars (and Comet Finnicky) was

just setting behind the houses to the SSW, so I got ready to pounce on Lovejoy from the Beach instead.

Once this bad weather has blown over and the high pressure takes charge, I will probably take the scope out to

Culver Down to but myself some time for 15p.     It's not dark enough for long enough from my garden just now.

Clear skies, Mick

[mjpfc]

All manner of muckyness and tatty clouds out there just now but still gaps between

Scope pm standby near the kitchen door.

[kerrylewis]

Just tried again for Finlay but no luck. Used the SCT this time and entered the co-ordinates into the mount's handset. Convinced myself that I might have seen something a couple of times but not really. It must be very faint and lost in my LP. Hoping for better luck with Lovejoy Q2 later.

[mjpfc]

I have just been out myself and was having trouble finding the area (Star-hop) from Mar's position until it struck me.....

MARs moves as well !   Doh!

Mars is currently Near iota Capricorni, and a line from the planet  to delta Cap, then on to Gamma, forms two sides

of Parallelogram with the fourth Corner being in the general area where 15p is curretly hiding.

It's hiding well.

Admittedly the darkness was not totally complete by the time these set behind the houses to the SW, and the moon is

quite near, but the nearest I got was the persistent feeling that I was seeing something fuzzy and faint near a 10th mag star.

There was Nothing that I can say was a definate object, so even Pythagoras was no help this evening.

With the Comet moving just a little faster than the Planet and the planet losing the battle with the bright sky big time now, I'm

not sure about the prospects for this little-un. It may be that the Comet itself is also fading down again.

We shall see.                       Mick.