Backyard and Beyond

Starting out from Brooklyn, an amateur naturalist explores our world.

As John Burroughs said, “The place to observe nature is where you are.”

Two

1. I saw Comet Pan Starrs tonight from the Brooklyn Promenade. It was just above a bruise-colored haze bank (alas, poor Jersey!) over Ellis Island. The tail was quite diaphanous. It was my second try at spotting it, with an interval of poor weather in between. Not visible to the naked eye, it was easy to see with binoculars. It’s good for several more nights, provided the sky is clear.

2. Yesterday, an unfamiliar chipping in an otherwise fairly quiet Prospect Park announced the first Eastern Phoebe of the spring. It did not let loose with its eponymous song, but its tail rotated with gusto.

mthew

4 responses to “Two”

  1. Joy K.

    We tried to spot it last night. Clear skies, dark area, and we couldn’t see a thing. It was quite frustrating.

    Reply
    1. mthew

      Did you have binoculars? A must.

      Reply
  2. Joy K.

    Yes, quite nice binoculars. We got great views of Jupiter and a couple of its moons, and the stars in the Pleiades, and the nebula in Orion, but no comet.

    Reply
    1. mthew

      I found the guides to the comet on-line somewhat misleading, as they portrayed the comet above the moon; I was seeing the comet an hour after sunset, and the moon, which is getting brighter, was still well above the comet, but sort of in the trajectory of the moon as it sunk westward. As the days continue through the month, the comet moves westward from the moon’s path.

      Reply

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