You brought a beautiful vision to my hum-drum work-day! ... thank you
for getting up at 4am
>This morning I shocked my system by getting up at the
>ungodly hour of 4:00 to try and view Comet Bradfield.
>I'd seen SOHO images of it last week as it circled
>around the sun which were pretty fantastic - showing a
>beautiful huge tail.
>
>Now it's outward bound and a very early morning object
>low in the Northeast just down from beta Andromeda.
>
>I packed my 10 X 70mm Fujinon binoculars, binocular
>mount, MegaStar chart, red light, handbearing compass,
>and a big cup of coffee and started driving north on
>I-680 away from Benica looking for a suitably dark
>off-road site to set up where I wouldn't attract
>unwanted attention.
>
>About half way to Cordelia I found an old farm road
>and set up a grassy knoll. I couldn't believe that I
>could actually see the summer Milky Way with all the
>light pollution from the various surrounding cities.
>Not bad!
>
>I set my fuji's on Beta Andromeda and started moving
>down towards the horizon and all of a sudden it hit
>me!
>
>What a gorgeous sight! Fantastic 4-5 degree tail
>heading up from the horizon attached to this bright
>bluish-white condensed nucleous! I could just see the
>nucleous naked-eye.
>
>It was surreal - just me on the grassy knoll with the
>wind blowing looking for several minutes at this
>beautiful comet!
>
>As twilight rapidly brightened, I packed up and headed
>back home and to bed around 5:30. I just wish someone
>else could have been there to share in this memorable
>experience.
>
>Dennis Beckley
>
>
>
>
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Received on Wed Apr 28 12:38:28 2004