On the first day of spring, Comet PanSTARRS could be dimly seen with the naked eye from my backyard about an hour after sunset. It was a nice sight with binoculars and with my 18-inch Dobsonian. It was yellow in the glow of the sunset, with a very bright and distinct coma.

Image details:  2 second exposure at ISO 1600 and f/5.6, taken with a Canon 400D camera at a focal length of 200 mm.

March 20, 2013