C/2022 E3 (ZTF)

[josefk]

So GnG again last night and with low scudding cloud the target for the session was C/2022 E3. Till now only seen once and in binoculars.

First a silly mistake. Struve 1927 here - i thought i should be able to see C/2022 E3 next to the FOV centered star HD 135825 and couldn't. i couldn't believe transparency was so bad i wouldn't be able to see anything - then realised i was using the position of C/2022 from the day before. Doh!

 

With route ending corrected here is C/2022 E3 in its actual location on the evening of the 25th - slightly higher to the North West in Draco. Transparency was poor at this low angle so contrast was poor. Just 3 or 4 degrees higher felt like it would have made the difference to clearer and darker skies. The comet appeared like a large unresolved globular cluster with off centre bright core and tiny hint of very bright point source in that bright core:

 

For positional comparison last week (20.01) i secured an awkward view through steeply mounted binoculars while the Comet was in Bootes and much much higher up in clear morning skies:

Edited January 26, 2023 by josefk
dates added

[Moon-Monkey]

I have wondered what a comet would look like through binoviewers

lovely sketch buddy  🙂🔭

Edited January 27, 2023 by Moon-Monkey
Didn’t finish

[josefk]

Thanks @Moon-Monkey but I’ve to confess I have misled you there with the middle one and the way I have drawn it. Apologies. The sketch is two “eyepieces worth” so I could get more positionally anchoring stars in east to west. 
 

I will get the binoviewers on it at some point if the weather allows because I think they will be very effective. 

[Moon-Monkey]

14 minutes ago, josefk said:

Thanks @Moon-Monkey but I’ve to confess I have misled you there with the middle one and the way I have drawn it. Apologies. The sketch is two “eyepieces worth” so I could get more positionally anchoring stars in east to west. 
 

I will get the binoviewers on it at some point if the weather allows because I think they will be very effective. 

No need to apologise buddy it was I who assumed great sketch bud 🔭

[andrew63]

Nice sketches, thanks for posting.  They give a good approximation of the view through an eyepiece.