Hi all
Had a great look at these 2 comet fragments last night. In the 8.5" fragment C was a proper comet with stellar central condensation well condensed coma (it has grown larger) and a long dust tail 30' long pointing SW with faint slender spine and numerous ion streamers radiating away from the coma. Fragment B also sported a bright stellar CC (in outburst again) with very short stubby 10' long dust tail pionting SW.
Both comets were large bright objects in the 10X50 bin with C showing a long slender tail and B sharing the same FOV as M13. I got to expericence 'aperture affect' first hand tonight! using my 8X22mm bin both comets were remarkably larger and brighter compared with the view in the 10X50's.
Fragment C was a very easy naked eye object tonight that looked like a large grey fuzzy patch with the coma and tail combination extending at least 15' in dia although i suspect it is much larger!!! This comet must easily be mag 6.0 (in my opnion) and much brighter than what others are estimating.
I also spotted fragment B with the naked using averted vision as a small soft stellar source that was quite easy to see and i reckon it was mag 6.5 - 6.7 with ease and again brighter than predicted by others! Infact with the naked eye i could see fragment C, M13 and B all at the same time.
Trans= 8/10 seeing= 10/10 background sky slightly grey due to illumination of of waxing crescent moon low in NW. Spent 1.5 hours comet hunting before dawn with the 16" and picked up a nice selection of star clusters. I seen 14 meteors including one lovely earth grazing Eta - Aquarid at mag 0 witha golden head.
Ended session ay 04.00
Martin Mc Kenna
coruscations attending the whole length of the luminosity, giving to the phenomena the aspect of a wrathful messenger, and not that of a tranquil body pursuing a harmless course..comet of 1680
  