Comet C/2002 T7 (LINEAR) 25-Jan-2004

I braved the sub-zero temps (it was -8 F by 8:00 pm) and observed Comet C/2002 T7 LINEAR Saturday evening. Definitely brightening. Here's my observation notes and sketch.

Doug Scobel

Attached Image:

Thanks for the kind remarks, everyone.

Sketching isn't that bad in the cold. What I did was quickly put in all the field stars, taking the glove off just long enough to draw one or two. Once those were done, I then quickly put in the comet, in very "rough" form. Once inside the house where it was nice and toasty, I cleaned it up.

There is a danger when observing in such cold temps, though. I had my glove off and grabbed a 2" eyepiece. My finger and thumb tips started to actually burn. I immediately put it down, thinking that I was freezing some skin cells. The lesson? Don't touch bare metal without your gloves or mittens!

Doug