There’s a reasonably bright comet in the sky right now — Comet C/2009 P1 (Garradd), discovered by Australian amateur astronomer Gordon Garradd. The comet is now visible through binoculars and small telescopes, an evening object glowing at around magnitude 8, and showing a nice, intense, bright green coma. The comet is in the tiny constellation Sagitta in the summer Milky Way, and will continue to be visible for some time to come.
Image
credit: John Chumack
magazine contributor John Chumack captured Comet Garradd from his observatory in Yellow Springs, Ohio, on August 22, 2011, with his 16-inch scope, a QHY8 Color CCD camera, and a 5-minute exposure.
Enjoy!