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Comet 17-17

 

C/2006 C1 Ikeya - Zhang on March 3rd 2002 at 19.32 LT with the 8" F/10 S.Cass. I first tracked the comet down in the bright evening twilight then according to the words in my log book 'the sky darkened and the comet seemed to come alive!' The fan shaped dust tail was at least 5 degrees long at PA: 70 degrees. The coma was well condensed (D.C: 7-8) with a dia of 10'. The comet was at its best in 10X50 mm binoculars, as it set in the sky it shared the same binocular field with my garden tree tops - gorgeous. In my log book I noted ' to me the comet looks like a ghostly white intruder in the sky and reminds me a little of my first view of a comet ever - Hale - Bopp' although on a slighter fainter scale of course.