(JBortle) wrote in message ...
I would suggest that observers not get all that excited about this object just
yet. Remember all the hype regarding the two most recent "bright" comets LINEAR
and NEAT, which fell far short of most predictions of brightness and
grandeur...including those issued by the MPC (which are meant only as a _very_
general guide anyway)?

Aren't comet connoiseurs used to this sort of thing by now?

This comet is still quite distant from the Sun and with a perihelion distance
of 1.2AU, unlikely to develop into anything very impressive. Odds favor it
looking a moderately diffuse, small, cloud, the coma spanning perhaps 15-25 arc
minutes at the time of closest approach to Earth in January. This situation
implies a rather low surface brightness for the comet...with a general
appearance to the naked eye like something midway between M44 and M33. Perhaps
a pleasing sight from the country but not much for urban observers.

Par, par.

More generally, anyone who still *expects* grand performances from
comets at this late date probably deserves to be disappointed. :-P

Besides, you're talking to a crowd here that might take this as a
challenge. :-)

Your warning is perhaps best heeded by those who will go Christmas
shopping for a telescope, given the unfortunate timing of this
apparition, without consulting SAA first. Of course, those who don't
consult SAA won't see your warning, but...


Clear skies!

--
------------------- Richard Callwood III --------------------
~ U.S. Virgin Islands ~ USDA zone 11 ~ 18.3N, 64.9W ~
~ eastern Massachusetts ~ USDA zone 6 (1992-95) ~
--------------- http://cac.uvi.edu/staff/rc3/ ---------------