Comet: C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE)
Planet: Jupiter, Saturn
Stars: 35 Com, 39 Com, 40 Com, MP Com
HR Stars: 4873
SAO: 82571
HD Stars: 112196, 112735, 113365
Moon
Identified, not Observed & Not entered into Logbook or database:
Moon
Location: Home
Date: 2020-08-03
Time: 10:30 PM - 11:38 PM ADT
Equipment: Visual, 10x42 IS Binoculars
Temperature: 16° C
SQM: 18.22 - 18.57
Transparency: Fair to Poor (5)
Seeing: Fair to Poor (5)
Beautiful evening. Late enough there were no mosquitoes. No clouds or wind. The 99.7% illuminated Moon affected viewing.
Jupiter
Time: 10:55 PM AST
Equipment: binoculars
Jupiter was located in essence in the centre of a broad-based triangle formed by HR 7410, HR 7327 and 50 Sgr. Saturn was about 6°-7° away from Jupiter whereas the Moon was approximately 18° away in Capricornus. Callisto and Io were very close together on one side with Europa and Ganymede close together on the other.
Comet NEOWISE
Time: 10:38 - 10:50 PM AST
Equipment: binoculars
S&T Chart: 45
NEOWISE formed a triangle with 35 Com and HR 4873. Although I could not see it in my binoculars, I knew M64 (Black Eye Galaxy) was nearby. I initially used the curve of stars in Melotte 111 but found it easier using β Com.
The comet is tracking west through Coma Berenices, moving away from the North Galactic Pole and is getting fainter every day - now at 6.5 magnitude compared to 3.2 at Roy Bishop's cottage on July 18. I'm amazed I can still see it from our back yard. We may have a few more evenings of observing it from home (fingers crossed!).
