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(meteorobs) Hale/Bopp Observation Jan 29 ZAYGE
I observed Hale/Bopp thru 7X50 binoculars on Jan 29th. I had a Limiting
magnitude near 5.0 from my workplace in La Mesa, Ca. Between the times of
0508-0525 hrs PST, I can see the comet very easy in the North East with the
naked eye. To me it still appears as a star though. Thru the binoculars, I
see a tail that appears to be about 1 degree long pointing towards the North.
As for approximate magnitude. I compared it with zeta Aquilae again, although
it is a lot closer to Gamma Aquilae. I didn't know Gamma Aql's magnitude, but
I did for Zeta. Thus after comparing Zeta Aql and Hale/Bopp several times, I
mentally condensed the coma to a star point image. Then added the fuzziness
of the remainder of the comet in a condensed form. My estimate for
Hale/Bopps magnitude is between 2.7 and 2.9. I believe this is pretty close
to what I saw during my last sighting on Jan 20? I get the impression that
it's stuck on this magnitude range for the moment. If you need help finding
HB, look for Altair and measure a little less than 1 fist above and to the
left. (this is 1 fist to the North and West of Altair).
George Zay
Long: 116 deg 37' West
Lat: 32 deg 50' North