Comet Ikeya-Zhang

March 5, 2002, 03:00 UT
Instrument: 10-inch Starfinder

Reports that the comet was producing an impressive tail served as a catalyst for this observation. I setup the 10-inch Starfinder Newtonian on the back deck and waited for nightfall. A 63X view is presented at left. Ikeya-Zhang's coma is positioned near the northwest field boundary. Ninth magnitude GSC 22:1144 is visible 9' to the north with its attending pair of 11th magnitude GSC stars. The coma features a bright core, roundish but not stellar. An inner tail embedded within a fainter dust tail extends toward the east-northeast. the inner, bright white tail gradually tapers like a long dagger blade over a distance of 17'. The outer, yellowish tail gradually broadens, appears 25' in length under direct scrutiny and extends another 30' with averted vision. Eleven field stars frame the view.


Comet Ikeya-Zhang Main Page March 16, 2002

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Revised: March 23, 2002 [WDF]