Fishing for a faint fuzzy

This week's sky

Fishing for a faint fuzzy

Star-party attendees in late August and early September should set their sights on the 10th-magnitude interloper C/2007 W1 (Boattini). It will be well-placed in the east by late evening and remain up the rest of the night. To catch this comet, you'll need to be out under a dark sky and avoid the Moon's unwanted light. As Boattini slides across the back of Pisces the Fish, the comet will resemble some of the fainter Messier objects. You should get a nice view through a 4-inch scope under good conditions.

At best, Boattini will show a stubby tail. The solar system conspires against us this month, because the comet's tail extends mostly behind it from our perspective. In this respect, it mimics last year's appearance of Comet 17P/Holmes.

At September's close, Comet C/2007 W1 passes close to Psi1 Piscium, an easy double star for small telescopes. Its components shine at magnitudes 5.4 and 5.6 and have a comfortable separation of 30". Can you see any color difference between the two stars?

If you're in a comet-hunting mood, lots of other targets await those with bigger scopes. Almost a dozen glow at 12th magnitude or brighter. For up-to-date finder charts and magnitudes, click here.

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