djb (08/19/82)
SUCCESS!!!!! The weather finally decided to cooperate. My wife Elaine and I headed out to a elevated spot (highway overpass embankment) near our apartment to search for Comet Austin. Sunset was at 8:25 pm EDT. We set up watch around 9:10 (roughly the time Lew Mammel and Ron Meyer reported) and, as the skies darkened, spotted Austin around 9:18pm. It wasn't until 9:25 that we were sure about the sighting, but there it was, a faint (~5.0 mag) fuzzy spot with no visible tail. Position was (10h 20m RA, 41deg DEC), just south and east of Mu Ursa Major. We were using 8x50 binoculars, and needed to use averted vision to get a good look. The comet was visible until after 10:00pm, when the lights of Columbus blotted it out. I observed Comet Bradfield last summer, and it was considerably less to write home about than Comet Austin. To those who haven't tried yet, or those who've never seen a comet, I'd encourage you to check this one out. Consider this a good warm up for Hailey in 1986. Observing conditions should improve as the comet moves further east and north of the sun, although it will dim rather rapidly. Unfortunately, the moon will start showing itself, being new on the 19th and first quarter the 26th. Elaine and I plan to try again tomorrow night, and every night hence. Anybody wishing an up-to-date position can mail a request to me. I would very much like to hear from anyone who observes Comet Austin and can supply positional information that I can pass on as well as compare to ours. Happy hunting, David Bryant cbosg!djb