Comet Jacques

Like Friday, Saturday night was a lovely clear night too on the east coast so I hope you got to see the comet. If you're having problems finding it with your telescope, use binoculars to sweep it up as their wide field of view makes it easy. The coma shows as a roundish misty white patch amongst the stars of Cassiopeia and can't really be confused with anything else. The tail is only visible in long exposure photographs and perhaps large telescopes. My 15 x 50 binoculars darken the sky a bit more than my 10 x 50 binoculars but it's easily visible through either.

It's said to be around 8.6 mag now and fading although I thought it was brighter (ignore the extremely low magnitudes mentioned on Heavens Above and Starry Night Pro). Weather is bad now so hopefully it will improve during the week.

Gordon

The magnitude of the comet these days is between 6 and 7. Estimating this with comparing the coma in focus with stars not in focus. Of course, you must never count on values given in software or on simulation sites, these are calculations from universal predicted efemerides.

Coldfieldboundary wrote: The magnitude of the comet these days is between 6 and 7. Estimating this with comparing the coma in focus with stars not in focus. Of course, you must never count on values given in software or on simulation sites, these are calculations from universal predicted efemerides.

+7 seems to be the current estimate per an average of binocular observations (between 6.8 and 7.2) in various countries over the past few days and this ties in with figures given by the BAA Comet section and S&T, who both say +7. Could be late this week before the weather clears again and we get another look so will probably have faded a bit by then.
Gordon

Mag 7 is brighter then reported a week or so ago, why would it fade now, is it heading away from us ?

It was at perihelion in early July, so it is now expected to fade gradually over the next while. Saw it while down in Kerry, good to observe it, but as comets go, pretty unremarkable.

A few of us got a really good view of it in a 10" dob while down in Kerry. I guessed around mag 8. Distinct greenish colour, but no sign of a tail.