Comet
46P/Wirtanen
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ZJqnkNcFZ4_UoCDJROyL5Uo2g8ecOv-G05-xBBgiDT2S6JZZ4Y8EMhaxV4nM33eB0YWHcuQPCCR3bNvqaMWdz3B1-yCx4LgjbZfDYsCtJ2URbqELaxfGXkEvMkD9lJIG2ddjPUI7fETr/s400/46P+Wirtanen+Comet.png)
With the
moon growing, my chances of seeing the comet again were decreasing, so I had to
wait until after the full moon to try to
spot it again and then sketch it.
Between some cloudy nights and rainy days the 25th arrived with the sky
clearing up and as a child on a Christmas morning, I went to look for my gift
at night. I took the telescope and some sketching pads and visited a spot a couple
of miles from my house where there is more open sky so the chances to trip on a
tree top were less. The sky seemed pristine but the abundant rain in the
previous days promised to bath my scope as soon as the temperature started to
descend.
Above
me, I could see the milky way showering Cassiopeia and the leftovers of the
Cygnus region. I set the scope and checked for the comet. It was supposed to be
in the hat of Auriga. Somewhere, between the triangle formed by the stars
Capella and the less bright ones Menkalinan and δAur. The constellation was right above the brightest dome of light
pollution coming from Silicon Valley so I had trouble seeing the comet with
just my eyes. Without a proper star chart, I had to navigate the area with my
finderscope and wait until some blob or fuzzy appeared on the scene. It did not
take too long till I found it. It had drifted from the center of the triangle
towards the NE. By that time, my telescope corrector plate started to show
signs of dew so I quickly traced some dots on the paper and in a matter of
minutes a raw sketch was done. I wish I could have been more prepared for the
dew, but this was what I had at hand and at least I didn’t let the year go without
another sketch since I have been very limited with those this year.
The
comet will be in the skies for a while, so if you haven’t see it, grab a pair
of binos and go get it. It is there for
you!
To all
my worldwide readers I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy and starry 2019
year.
LG
Edited by: Jennifer Carvajal (editor in chief)
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