C/2007 N3 Lulin from Brooklyn

Well, sort of.  I got out briefly tonight with my wife’s Canon 12×36 IS binoculars (that’s Image Stabilized).  The position of Lulin is easy enough to find with Saturn less that 6º away and two reasonably bright star nearby to help zero in on its location – Leo 59 at mag 5 and Leo X-63A at mag 4.6.  Leo 59 is only half a degree away.

After staring for a while, I finally realized that I was seeing the comet.  But the 12×36 binoculars just don’t have the light grasp to pull it in well.  Lulin was just an amorphous, barely detectable blob just north of Leo 59.  I’d guess that if I weren’t in Brooklyn, the contrast with the sky background would be much better and I’d have no trouble seeing it. 

I didn’t plan well or I would have set out the 8-inch Dob so it would have cooled down by now.  Unfortunately, I really need to get a good night’s sleep tonight, so Lulin will have to wait.  Maybe I can plan better for tomorrow….