Comet catalina last chance to view...I think not

[mdstuart]

You may have viewed comet Catalina in the first few days of 2016..

http://www.sciencealert.com/new-year-s-eve-is-the-only-chance-to-see-comet-catalina-in-your-lifetime

Well I did look at it in January 2016 but I can still see it..

Its now in Perseus in the top left of the constellation which is now getting low in the West. Here is my visual observation

Here is a finder map.

2013_US10.pdf

This comet is thought to have been recently knocked out of a several million year orbit in the Oort cloud is now on an escape trajectory.

This comet is moving in a plane that is at 60 degrees to the ecliptic and came hurtling in from the northern side, passing through the ecliptic in Jan 2004. It looped around the sun and crossed back into the northern hemisphere on 27 November 2015 and is heading off never to return.

The web site below gives you some information and this suggests mag 11. It felt more like mag 13 to me but I think that was the low surface brightness or perhaps the fact it was low in the west?

http://theskylive.com/c2013us10-info

When you were younger and at the coast I am sure you played that game of watching a yacht/ship as far as you could out to sea with binoculars and kept saying "I can still see it" or maybe that was just me...Well Catalina the comet...I can still see it!! 2.5au 383 million kilometres!

Mark

[Stu]

Nice one Mark, and great post ??

Mag 13, or even Mag 11 non stellar is beyond me here I'm sad to say.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Great report! I don't think I will have much chance here at the moment. Mag 13 is doable if difficult with the 8", but conditions vary from hazy to cloudy at the moment. I did spot it earlier, however

[laudropb]

Very nice report Mark. Unfortunately at that mag. And given the skies I view under it is now beyond me.