46p 20181216 asnook

 Observer
Alan Snook
Time of observation
16/12/2018 - 00:40
Object
Comet 46P Wirtanen
Observing location
East Kent
Equipment
Canon 18x50 IS binoculars
Field 3.7 degrees
Unaided zenith limiting magnitude is 5.5m.I would guess the Comet's combined magnitude is about 5. It is not visible to the unaided eye. In the binoculars it is a round fuzz with a noticeable non-stellar nucleus. No structure seen and no impression of colour. The size is very difficult to estimate as the outer parts of the coma are not much different to the sky background but I put the diameter at circa 40 arcminutes.