Comet SWAN

This evening my North horizon was clear of clouds and I decided to catch a glimpse of this comet. In my location the comet is in a position which does not give much time for observing since it is low on the NW horizon just after sunset. Its postion is improving as its angle from the sun increases.

I printed its current position from heavens-above.com and found it with my 8" dob as predicted some 9' from star HIP74977 (mag +8.2) in Boötes. Although the sky was not very dark, the tail could still be made out. The comet nucleus had the appearace of a fuzzy ball.

As the month progresses the comet should get fainter but observation could be easier as it rises higher over the horizon.