Comet Watch

I was up early on Sunday and Monday mornings. Tuesday was overcast so I slept in. Up again early today (Wednesday).
I really don't understand reading that one could see this comet without binoculars, a monocular, or a small telescope. It appeared to be much too faint in the early morning sky from my home in Highlandville MO. Although I do live in a rural area, looking to the east near the horizon is pretty much littered with light pollution from the billboards along US 65. Plus, it is just before sunrise so the sky is getting brighter as morning approaches.

I had no luck on Sunday morning, but was not discouraged from doing a little more research and trying again on Monday. I'm pretty sure I found it Monday morning. I was using binoculars and my Sky Eye app. Although the app didn't show the comet, I didn't see a corresponding star for what I was seeing in the vicinity where the comet was supposed to be.
Confident of what I was looking for and adjusting for the two day difference, I was able to find it again this morning. It will pass at its closest to the sun on the 12th and then head away from the solar system and back into interstellar space, never to be seen again by us mere earthlings.

Next on the overnight watch will be the opposition of Jupiter in a couple of weeks. The giant planet of the solar system will be at its closest to earth in nearly a century and full bright due to being in opposition to the sun. Even with a pair of binoculars you should be able to see the bands of the planet and several of the four largest moons, depending on where they are in their orbits. They will appear as pinpricks of light in line with the planet's equator and may be farther away from the planet than you might think. You should be able to observe the dance of the orbiting moons throughout the fall.

It is a little sad to see the summer constellations leaving the night sky and even though I am not looking forward to winter, the winter sky is pretty amazing. Orion, and Canis Major are already high in the morning sky, as are the Gemini Twins, Taurus the Bull, and the Pleiades star cluster. Leo is rising just before sunup. Our winter night perspective faces us away from our galaxy's center and the overhead view of the Milky Way will vanish for a few months.
Currently Mercury and Mars are not visible at night, and Venus rises in the early morning. Saturn and Jupiter rise at around 9 and 10 o'clock at night (Jupiter is the brighter one) and you can see them all with the naked eye. Neptune is between Saturn and Jupiter, and Uranus is just to the left of Jupiter, but you will probably need a small telescope to find them. A small scope will also show you the rings of Saturn.
Grab a pair of binoculars (or not) and check it out.

John