Two Morning Comets!

Hi all

Had a great observing session last night from 03.00 - 04.00 in the pre - dawn hours. The sky was incredible with excellent trans, seeing with a very dark sky background. Stars to mag 7 were glimpsed with the naked eye and the milkyway in Cygnus was like a cloud with striking dark complex dust lanes.

Using the 8" F/6.3 at 49X i hunted down C/2006 A1 Pojmanski which was located very close to a bright naked eye star in Lacerta. The comet was a blue circular fuzzball, moderately condensed with a bright white soft central condensation. I could make out a faint, straight colourless ion tail for >3' to the NW. The comet looked nice against a milkyway background. Mag 7, D.C: 6, Dia: 3' Heres sketch..



I quickly guided the scope to the south in a area of sky below Arcturus and within seconds i swept up 73P/ Schwassmann - Wachmann 3 fragment C sporting a tiny coma with very bright starlike central condensation. The coma seemed slightly elongated away from the sun as it merged into a faint ghostly fan shaped dust tail pointing south for over 3'. Mag 10, Dia 1-2', DC: 6 Sketch..



It was nice comparing the two comets under an incredible sky. A great session! Also seen 10 meteors and had a look at M13, M92 , Jupiter and Berenices Hair clip.

Clear skies