April 11, 2020: C/2019 Y1 (ATLAS) bagged

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Bagged my 27th comet surprisingly easily. I decided I wanted to hunt "the other ATLAS", which is currently in Cassiopeia. According to the Sky Hound Comet Chasing site it should be visible in small scopes, requiring a wide field rather than a huge aperture. I first inspected the area with my Helios LightQuest 16x80 binoculars, and thought I spotted some fuzzy ball in the right location. I then set up my Meade 6" F/5 Schmidt-Newton on the Great Polaris mount, and inserted the 31 mm Nagler, which turns this into a 24.5x152 comet sweeper with 3.3 degree FOV. I aligned the new 9x50 RACI finder on Capella, and swung the scope over to Cassiopeia. I immediately spotted a small patch of fuzz, which grew a bit clearer with the 22 mm Nagler. I checked with Stellarium whether there were any DSOs in this patch, but none showed up. The only object that fits the description of what I saw is Comet C/2019 Y1 (ATLAS). Comet number 27 bagged. 

I was observing in my mother's garden, which has slightly darker skies than my own, but I could only make out the core region of the comet, due to light pollution from Groningen to the north. 

After finding the comet, I had a quick look at the Leo Triplet, which are framed beautifully in the 3.3 degree FOV, and had a quick peek at NGC 2903 and M3, before calling it a night. 

[MoonNut]

Cool report, congratulations.

And a cool Avatar, I bought that one the week it was released, still have it

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

3 hours ago, MoonNut said:

Cool report, congratulations.

And a cool Avatar, I bought that one the week it was released, still have it

One of the greatest albums ever. I see you also have a Schmidt-Newton. You don't see those very often. Would love to have a 10" one