C/2002 T7 (LINEAR), 2004/2/9 UT

I observed Comet C/2002 T7 (LINEAR) on Sunday evening (at approximately 1:00 UT) prior to moonrise using the ASH 17" f/15 classical Cassegrain and a 5" f/5 refractor, the finder scope for the 17". A short tail was definitely visible. There was a distinct condensation within the largish coma. I used magnifications of 118, 162, 202, and 259x with 162x providing the best overall view. Conditions were good and the limiting magnitude was approximately 5.0 at the time. This was the first time that I was able to actually see the comet through the finder scope.

Dave Mitsky