There's a new Comet for us to watch, it's called Comet Pojmanski and it will be with us in the esatern skies for the next week or two.
To find it look just a little South of due East in the early morning hours before dawn. It will be visible to the naked eye, but just only. To really get a good look, you'll need either binoculars or a scope.

The following is copied from the Space.Com article about the comet to help you in finding it.

"The comet is located in the zodiacal constellation of Capricornus, the Sea Goat. Beginning Feb. 27, skywatchers in the Northern Hemisphere can try locating it, very low above the horizon, somewhat south of due east about 90 minutes before sunrise. You can use Venus as a guide on this morning: the comet will be situated roughly 7 degrees to the left and slightly below the brilliant planet (the width of your fist held at arm's length and projected against the sky is roughly equal to 10 degrees)."

"As viewed from midnorthern latitudes, Comet Pojmanski will be positioned a little higher above the horizon each morning at the start of morning twilight. While it's only 5 degrees high on Feb. 27, this quickly improves to 10 degrees by March 2; 16 degrees by March 5 and 22 degrees (more than "two fists" up from the horizon) by March 9."

"What you can see"

"In the early morning sky it can be readily picked up in binoculars looking like a small, circular patch of light with a bluish-white hue and an almost star-like center."
"The comet will passing closest to Earth on March 5, when it be 71.7 million miles (115.4 million kilometers) away."

"In small telescopes the comet's gaseous head or "coma" should appear roughly 1/6 of the Moon's apparent diameter as seen from Earth (an actual linear diameter of 209,000 miles or 335,000 kilometers). It will also likely display a short, faint narrow tail composed chiefly of ionized gases."

For the complete story go to http://www.space.com/spacewatch/060224_night_sky.html.

Hope you all get a chance to see this one.


Ed

An Image at the link. Mike H.

http://www.fototime.com/E5AD2941580E310/orig.jpg