Comet Season

In case you haven't heard, the comet ISON is making an appearance. It's a one-time visitor that is never supposed to return - ever. During December you'll be able to see it with the naked eye, after its journey takes it around the sun and if it survives. It will pass very close to the sun but could be broken apart by the stresses in doing so. Hopefully it will emerge unscathed. If it does, it will likely be brighter than PanSTARRS was in the spring. It will be in the Western sky right after the sun goes down. If you miss it this time, you will never see it.

(Estimated positions of ISON during December.)

I got up early this  morning and got my telescope out to see if I could capture ISON. It was a bit nippy out, crystal clear skies, and no wind. ISON was supposed to be around Leo's rear foot, and that's exactly where I found it. I "calibrated" my 'scope by zeroing in on a nearby star ("sigma Leo"), and moved it to the comet's coordinates. Got it! Being so low in the sky (and me being in town), I couldn't see it with the naked eye, but my camera found it pretty easily. Mounted on the telescope and using it as a lens, this is what it saw:

("Sigma Leo" is the star on the left - Leo's rear foot. ISON on the right.)

I may be able to get more of it before the sun gets in the way. I will post here if I do.