Craning my neck at Comet Garradd...

I ran out at about 11m DST with my 11x80 binocs for a quick look at
Comet Garradd. A very nice, clear, moonless night at 54 degrees F.
I've been occasionally checking this little bugger out since I first
picked it up last July, but I haven't bothered since it became a
"morning object." I've never been a morning object, and probably
never will be. Now though, Garradd is back up North and high in the
sky... Heavens Above gave a magnitude of 7.7, and I decided to run
out for a quick look to cap off a less than stellar day... (this
laptop is croaking, I stepped on my glasses, my autistic son was in a
rotten mood...)
I figured I had a good chance.
Advantages: Garradd is high in the sky, skimming along ahead of the
bowl of the Big Dipper, it's pretty bright at mag. 7.7, and I was
going out with 11x80 lightbucket binocs.
Disadvantages: Rather crappy light pollution with no leaves on the
trees or tall corn crops to hide behind, no dark adaptation, and a 62
year old skeleton that creaks a bit when torquing over backwards to
hand-hold large binoculars.
The detailed charts on http://cometchasing.skyhound.com/ were
what bailed me out. Knowing exactly where to look after marking the
spot on the Universal Time line, I picked up a hazy patch that I never
would have seen if I didn't know it was there. In fact, I ran in 3 or
4 times, checking the star patterns on the chart carefully to make
SURE I was seeing the RIGHT hazy patch. It just ain't no fun if you
ain't sure... And I was. After satisfying myself that the little
fuzz patch was indeed Comet Garradd, I lowered my binocs, winced a bit
as I brought my head back in line with the rest of my body, and headed
back in to type this...

Marty