Sightings of Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)

February 2023  :  Craig Cortis

Like many of us, I became interested in this comet last year when reports about its possible predicted brightness for January into early February of this year started appearing in the magazines and various websites. I had an ephemeris and plotted the comet’s position for the morning of January 17, which actually turned out to be very clear with no wind and fine sky transparency, although the Moon had risen at 2:45 a.m. and was well up above the southeast horizon by 4:30 when I went outside with a 10 x 50 binocular to give it a try. The comet was in northern Bootes a small distance west of the border with Hercules and it only took a minute or so to sweep it up, helped somewhat by two notable triangular asterisms nearby in Hercules that I used in my starhop. I noted a grayish patch of light at the right location and switched to a 15 x 70 binocular for a better look. No question that it was the comet.

My next opportunity came about on the 19^th when the sky was basically clear but with a slight haze developing. No Moon to contend with at 3:35 a.m. because it would not rise until 5:18 a.m. Despite the haze, the comet was quickly evident in the 15 x 70 and seemed to be very slightly brighter than just two days before. I then used my 4.125 inch AstroScan reflector, a rich-field, short-focus Newtonian fitted with a 28mm Plossl eyepiece made by Ed Turco years ago. This gave a magnification of just 16 power, which was all I wanted on such a tough-to-aim scope. The AstroScan has a focal length of about 440mm, by the way. As seen in the scope, the comet displayed a fairly bright false nucleus but no hints of color or a tail. The shape was roughly rectangular, just a gray blotch on the background sky. I hope I’ll have more chances to see this comet by early February but I’m not banking on anything the way this weather’s been lately. On January 28, the First Quarter Moon will set at 12:05 a.m.