BACK

Not all comets are bright and have bushy tails, in fact the vast majority do not. The above sketch is nothing more than a faint smudge of light and that's exactly the way C/2001 OG 108 LONEOS looked on March 13th 2002 at 02.21 LT through my 8" F/10 S. Cass. When it was discovered by the LONEOS sky survey it was thought to be a new asteroid hence the strange designation however it grew a faint coma which revealed its true nature.

Mag 9.4 Dia 1.5' D.C 2 this was a very difficult comet to track down. It required a dark exceptional transparent night but despite its smudge like profile it was a lovely sight as it slowly drifted across the rich star fields of Cygnus in the NE. Comet seekers take note - the vast majority of new comets can look similar to this icy wander before they grow into great comets that etch themselves on the minds of anyone who is lucky enough to see such a comet. This is the first asteroid - turn comet that I have recorded in my logbooks.