Hopes dim for another bright October comet after Tsuchinshan-ATLAS

I watched it for 15 minutes tonight 10-14-24 from 2258 UTC to 2313 UTC, through 25x100 binoculars from a Walmart parking lot in Albany, GA, amongst the streetlights. I had car headlights pointing at me from 100 feet behind. The comet had a nice nucleus, fan tail but only about 1/2 ° degree of length was visible. It brought back memories of my naked eye sighting of Comet Halley from Times Square, New York City in 1985.
 
Massive binocs!

For Halley’s, we travelled 2 hours to a ranch. I was using Saturn to set the focus on the 8” SCT when it quickly began looking out of focus. I looked up at what was perfectly clear skies and saw a solid layer of clouds overhead.

So…not to be bested in getting an image, we shined a flashlight on the adjacent lake and our wives were amazed to see how bright Halley’s was. [Of course we told them]
 
I got a good picture of Halley from 6 miles outside Albany, GA just before it reached perihelion. Then, just as it emerged, I took a week to reach the 10,000 foot level outside Arequipa, Peru. I rode 29 hours seated on the floor of a bus from Lima. Hitchhiked up a dirt road into the mountains. It was hardly visible. Short fan tail, skies very bright due to the South American Anomaly letting cosmic rays in. I got a 'subpar' photo.
 
Very nice image. You have some real clear skies.

In 1986, I was excited to be at 10,000 feet in the Andes because I figured the skies would be dark there. I got out of the car and looked up and there was a whitish haze. It would be like stargazing with 1/4 Moon in the sky. I got photo, but the problem was mostly the comet was dim. It was a post perhelion disappointment. About two years ago I read an article said the SAA would cause increased skyglow. The area of South America I was in was within the anomaly. It is the South Atlantic Anomaly not the South American Anomaly. I don't know what kind of rays. It certainly could not have been that bad all the time or they would not put observatories down there. I suspect I was there at a time of high solar activity. Basically an aurora due to a hole in the magnetic field. Just guessing.
 
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Very nice image. You have some real clear skies.
Thanks. I just notice that Venus is barely on the left edge (about 1/2 way up). Perhaps this will help others for tonight's viewing.
The area of South America I was in was within the anomaly. It is the South Atlantic Anomaly not the South American Anomaly. I don't know what kind of rays. It certainly could not have been that bad all the time or they would not put observatories down there. I suspect I was there at a time of high solar activity. Basically an aurora due to a hole in the magnetic field. Just guessing.
Interesting. Perhaps a filter would de-anomalize it a bit. :)
 
Yes, skyglow is narrow, could easily be filtered out.

Arequipa had 500,000 people but all streetlights were sodium vapor. Mercury vapor hadn't made it there yet. From several thousand feet up and a few miles away, the impact on stargazing was nil.
 
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