January 9 (just) 2024: Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan spotted

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

After spotting Denebola to the east from my garden, I made some futile attempts to spot comet 62P/Tsuchinshan with my big Helios LightQuest 16x80mm bins, but no luck from my Bortle 4/5 location. I decided tyo drive north to a dark spot that has previously proven very good for this kind of observation. Just getting out of the car was a joy, the skies were so much darker, and studded with stars (and the odd planet). I quickly aimed my binoculars to the little triangle of stars south of Denebola, and immediately spotted a little fuzzy ball where the comet should be. Just to check the transparency I checked out M65 and M66, and they could definitely be spotted. Swinging back to the comet, I could readily confirm its position. That is comet number 38 bagged, and the first one of the year.