* 2006 Oct. 26 - South Hills Backyard Astronomers:

COMET SWAN is now 5th magnitude, technically a naked-eye object IF you are in a dark location. Increasing moonlight, each day, could make it more difficult to find.

To find it: Follow the ARC to Star ARCTURUS (follow the curve of the Big Dipper’s handle across the sky to the bright orange-ish star Arcturus)--Arcturus is Alpha Bootes (Constellation Bootes is a longish kite-shape constellation, Arcturus being like the knot attaching the kite’s tail to the kite). Corona Borealis, next to Bootes, is a fairly easy to pick-out semi-circle of stars with one bright one (a silver dollar at arm’s length would just fit inside of CB’s circlet).

In binoculars, the comet would look like a little fuzzy smudge. In a telescope at medium-low power it would look like a slightly bigger fuzzy smudge.

More info on Comet Swan