Date: 14 January 2007 U.T.
Time: 20:10 U.T.
Binoculars: 25x100 (tripod-mounted)
Seeing: Fair
NELM: Daytime
Temperature: +14 F (-10 C)
The above sketch shows the full 2.3 degree field of view of the large binoculars. Comet McNaught is to the lower left. Mercury is the small 'star' to the upper right. North is roughly up; and west is roughly to the right.
The sky appeared clear at the time of the observation; but ice crystals were suspected in the upper atmosphere. A segment from a large, white halo was visible to the left of the Sun immediately following the observation.
The comet was relatively easy to see; but Mercury, due to its faintness, was much more difficult for the eye to perceive.
I had tried earlier to spot Mercury with hand-held 8x42 and 20x80 binoculars; but those efforts proved unsuccessful. Even with the tripod-mounted 25x100 binoculars, and even knowing where to look for our solar system's innermost planet, it took a few minutes to 'spot' Mercury.
Unrelated Note: Using 8x42 binoculars I managed to watch Comet McNaught set yesterday evening. In a mostly cloudy sky I had a thin strip of partial clearing just above my horizon in just the right location. The clearing was only one-fourth to one-eighth of a degree wide! The setting comet looked much like the sketch I had made earlier, in the daytime, with an 80mm refractor -- only not quite as good!
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