See the Comet!

Last night I saw the comet Pan Starrs, and you can too over the next few evenings after sunset.  It's a beautiful sight!  All you need is a pair of binoculars and a clear sky to the west.

Be in position about an hour after sundown so the sky will be dark enough to see the comet.  To find the comet start where the glow from the sunset is brightest and go right (north) about three fields of vision with your binoculars.  Then go up from the horizon about one width of the span from your thumb to your pinkie with your fingers spread with your hand held at arm's length.

It took me a few minutes to home in on the comet, so be patient.  Once I found it with the binoculars it was easy to go back to in subsequent views.  Try as I might, I couldn't make it out with the naked eye, even after I'd found it with the binoculars.  It will keep going a little to the north and a little higher in the sky for the next few nights until it is no longer visible.

What I saw was the bright dot, not round but elongated, of the solid part of the comet itself.  Then flowing up from from that was the shimmery tail, pointed "up" that is, away from the sun.  Go out and see for yourself.  These temporary visitors from the outer solar system are truly a wonder of the universe.