A Bit Late To The Party!

[cloudsweeper]

The comet party, that is.  I was beginning to think I was the only member who had not seen Comet 46P.  Jan 1 - Dob - a bit cloudy - only rough idea of location - nothing.  Jan 2 - frac - better idea of location in Lynx - 4deg field made hopping from Capella easy - increased mag in target area to improve contrast - nothing.  Jan 7 - different approach - got precise location from Sky Safari - aligned on Capella - used GoTo for 29 Lyn (with SAO number entered) - comet expected very close - nothing - poor transparency a possible suspect?

So to this evening, 4.45 - yet another approach - the widefield ST120 on the Skytee with the 8SE Cat (now manual).  Couldn't resist the lovely slim waxing crescent Moon, low, west of south.  It was great to first see it in a 4.3deg field, then 1deg.  In the former, there was a slight trace of the dark limb, and, just beyond the southern illuminated part, two tiny bright, isolated dots trailed off into the void.  Not far off-centre, Mare Crisium filled the space between terminator and eastern limb nicely.  I increased the mag in the 8SE to x85 then x102 to study the detail/shadow of the Oppel Ridge as well as the three nearby craterlets (Pickard, Peirce, Swift), all of which were almost filled with shadow.  By now, Luna was slipping behind the trees, so on to the main target of the evening.  

Just to get familiar with stellar views in this set-up, I targeted Capella in the frac.  It was good to have the wide view, then to know exactly where I was looking in the 8SE.  (This is not always the case when using GoTo!).  And tracking was easy by referring to the wider view.  On to Muscida (UMa), from which 29 Lyn was identified in the same FOV, and close by was the precise location of 46P, courtesy of Sky Safari.  I increased the 8SE's mag to x85 then x102.  I was briefly distracted by a faint star in AV, but it wasn't exactly where the comet should have been.  Then - again with AV - I spotted a small, very faint diffuse patch precisely where it should be.  No bright core or tail, but it was Wirtanen all right!  (It might have been clearer some time ago, but conditions here have been very poor for a while.)  Without knowing exactly where to look, I would not have cracked it, so success was down to Sky Safari!

In for a meal then after an extremely satisfying 1hr 35min session!

Doug.

[Littleguy80]

Good work, Doug. It’s a shame you couldn’t have seen it when it was brighter but still great to catch a comet. I bet it  was all the more satisfying to see it after having to wait! 

[Astro Imp]

Well done Doug, good to see your perseverance rewarded. 
BTW I'm still waiting for a chance to view the comet, I suppose the clouds will lift one day.

[cloudsweeper]

7 hours ago, Littleguy80 said:

Good work, Doug. It’s a shame you couldn’t have seen it when it was brighter but still great to catch a comet. I bet it  was all the more satisfying to see it after having to wait! 

Thanks Neil - satisfying, Yes.  I was keen not to let the opportunity slip by!

Doug.

6 hours ago, Astro Imp said:

Well done Doug, good to see your perseverance rewarded. 
BTW I'm still waiting for a chance to view the comet, I suppose the clouds will lift one day.

Thanks Alan.  Perseverance and experience certainly do help in this hobby.  And modern aids, of course!

I've had five sessions since Xmas.  The trend around here is for short, clear spells, so I take advantage whenever possible.  Hope you get some viewing in soon!

Doug.