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(meteorobs) Hale/Bopp Observation Feb 1, 1997 ZAYGE

Hale/Bopp Observation for Feb 1, 1997 

Observing from my Descanso Observatory, this mornings observation of comet
Hale/Bopp was a race against some cirrus clouds and dawn. The comet to the
naked eye appears to be more than a star-like point in the sky. It looks like
an out of focus star. Thru 7X50 and 14X100 binoculars and using Gamma Aquilae
as a reference star(mag 2.72), the comet seems to have "kicked it in gear"
somewhat. The increased brightness may be due to a diminishing moon and an
actual increase in brightness. My estimate of it's magnitude ranges from 2.1
to 2.3....and I'm leaning more to the 2.1 side of that range. Tail length
appears to be 1.4 degrees using the 3.3 degree field of view the 14X100's. I
made 9 photographic exposures with a 200 mm lens on my guided camera
platform. Exposures ranged between 2.5 and 4.5 minutes with HP-5 Black and
White film. I was having a lot of trouble with bands of cirrus moving in and
out during the exposures. I don't think I will have anything "to write home
to mom about", but the effort will give me some idea as to what to expect
with darker skies later. Perhaps I'll have something to say about any tail
structure after I develop the film later today? The comet still showed no
signs of coma elongation, anti-tail, or companions. 

George Zay
Descanso, Calif.
Long: 116 deg  37' West
Lat: 32 deg  50' North