Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

SenateLaunchScrubbed t1_j4ish0q wrote

Go watch it with the naked eye. Take the 40 bucks, and invest them on gas, soda and food. Find the darkest area you can reasonably drive to (darksitefinder.com), and go there with your family, to a nice park, beach, or any other nice area. Make a picnic out of it. Just lay on the grass and enjoy watching the stars. Just being well outside a city will make the sky look amazing (because of light pollution).

If you have the luck of getting a clear sky, you'll have a great time and be able to see it just fine. If you have cloud covering instead (welcome to the world of astronomy, the weather is always a harsh mistress), you'll still have a great time outside with your family, and your kid will never forget it.

9

FreekBugg OP t1_j4jiosy wrote

Neat site. I was reading that because it's just about a swamp here that the humidity is going to mess up the visibility. Shame, because I have family in a dark blue area, and I can go like 10 miles north and be in a gray to dark gray place.

3

aspheric_cow t1_j4j0hk6 wrote

I thought this one was predicted to be magnitude 5.5. That's not a naked eye comet.

2

SenateLaunchScrubbed t1_j4j3jb3 wrote

You can see up to magnitude 6 objects in ideal atmospheric conditions, and if no bright objects are nearby in the sky.

2

aspheric_cow t1_j4j8wmm wrote

It’s pretty borderline especially for a diffuse object.

2

SenateLaunchScrubbed t1_j4jacgw wrote

Certainly, but isn't it always? You go outside with your telescope to watch something awesome that has a narrow window, and all you get is wet.

1

[deleted] t1_j4ji13h wrote

Also I don’t think they want to drive far away to look at something they can’t even see we’ll.

2