Comet 8P Tuttle

Tonight I observed the comet 8P Tuttle in Pisces just about 5 degrees away from Gamma Arietis (Mesarthim) and making an equilateral triangle with 107Psc and 109Psc. The comet is listed as having a brightness of 5.8, but of course since this is an extended object, the surface brightness is low. In fact, with 16x70 binoculars I could not see it until my eyes started becoming dark adapted. Tonight the distance to the comet is 0.254AU which is its closest approach. This comet has an orbital period of 13.58 years and is responsible for the Ursid meteor shower. The image above was obtained from the JPL Small-Body Database.

Later on, at about 21:00 UTC, I took out the 200mm dob and had a look at the comet. I observed the fuzzy patch with a brighter core. I couldn't see any tail. I also observed Mars. The planet was centred around 100 degrees and I could make out three dark patches at the "top", the South of the planet, which correspond to the Mare Sirenum, the Solis Lacus and the Mare Erythraeum.