12 March: Scroll Down for Updates

   This evening, 11 March, I drove to a favorite scenic view point of mine at an elevation of 6000 feet on the Catalina Highway heading toward Mt. Lemmon and the small town of Summerhaven, AZ. This scenic view point was the same location I viewed a partial lunar eclipse last year from. And from this vantage point there is a good view toward the western horizon. The comet was bright enough to be seen with 10×50 binoculars and just barely without them.
   While waiting for the Sun to set and the sky to darken enough I took several pictures of a group of folks who had hiked out on a ridge for a rocky but spectacular view of the sunset. This picture shows one of the group taking a picture of the others. Click on the graphic to see a full-size picture.

   Here is a short sequence of images of the comet as it was setting.

12 March:
   This evening comet and Moon viewing was from Gates Pass, a mountain pass west of Tucson. The comet was easily seen with binoculars and once the sky darkened enough the comet was fairly easy to see with the naked eye. Having the thin crescent Moon nearby helped with seeing the comet. Click on the picture to see it full size.

   Here are some additional pictures of the comet and Moon.

      
Click here to go to the Qué tal in the Current Skies web site for more observing information.