Comet C/LINEAR (2001 A2)

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DOUBLE COMET

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May 2001 Events

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-- spider (spider0@usa.net), May 03, 2001

Answers

Cool! I have been meaning to look for this comet for a couple days now, but have been too busy at the appropriate hours. I expect to try tonight, using binoculars mounted on a tripod for steadiness. I may or may not break out our 8-inch Dobsonian telescope.

Some people expect comets to look like a Hollywood cartoon drawing with a big tail and obvious motion relative to nearby stars. Not usually, especially this one. The brightness of this object is such that you'll not see it "naked eye" unless you live in truly clear dark skies (rural desert, say) and know exactly where to look.

Unfortunately even in binoculars it will be very hard to see if city/suburban lights are nearby. (And then there's the moon, which will progressively get in the way as the month passes. Right now it won't be too bad.)

Not a significant event, but it's always neat to see any comet, especialy one that's breaking up.

-- Andre Weltman (aweltman@state.pa.us), May 03, 2001.


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