21P/Giacobini-Zinner -- Comet in Auriga
I thought I would get up a couple hours early and see if I could find the comet
21P/Giacobini-Zinner in the constellation Auriga. Although, it is at magnitude 7, I had
a crescent moon nearby and the night was warm and muggy with poor transparency.
During the star-hop from the bright star Capella, I wondered if I would be able to spot it
with my 4" refractor, at low power (19x) under the current sky conditions. I needn't had
worried. It was clearly visible in the eyepiece. I, of course, upped the power to 77x
and made a drawing. This is an easy to see comet, even under less than optimal
conditions, and worth losing a couple hours sleep to observe.
21P/Giacobini-Zinner in the constellation Auriga. Although, it is at magnitude 7, I had
a crescent moon nearby and the night was warm and muggy with poor transparency.
During the star-hop from the bright star Capella, I wondered if I would be able to spot it
with my 4" refractor, at low power (19x) under the current sky conditions. I needn't had
worried. It was clearly visible in the eyepiece. I, of course, upped the power to 77x
and made a drawing. This is an easy to see comet, even under less than optimal
conditions, and worth losing a couple hours sleep to observe.