karn (05/12/83)
Comet 1983d (IRAS et al.) was also observed from about 9:45pm EDT to about 11:00pm EDT at Murray Hill, NJ. It was in Cancer, close enough at first to delta Cancer for the two to be visible together in a small pair of field glasses. Over the observation period, I could definitely detect that the comet was moving southward. The hardest part in finding the comet was to make sure it really WAS a comet, and not just a cloud (there were a few small clouds nearby, but this one wasn't moving, at least not with the rest of 'em.) Once you knew where it was and what it looked like, it was very easy to come back to. In an 8", we could not detect a tail as such, although the blob surrounding the bright center appeared to be skewed slightly away from the sun. Did anyone else notice this? The blob appeared to change size and shape with time, although this was probably just an illusion due to the changing sensitivity of my eyes. The contrast over the comet was pretty wide. All in all, we had a productive evening. Venus, Saturn and finally Jupiter also provided excellent views, despite trees and enormous amounts of light pollution from New York City and the BTL parking lot lights. Phil Karn (with Neal Fildes)