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Subject: [tt-watch] The Stars Tonight
Date: Sun, 8 Apr 2001
Me and friend of mine made it down to the Gordon Macmillan Southam Observatory tonight and had what I believe was a very strange experience. I called the observatory around 7:30 and spoke to some guy and asked if it was okay to look at a object near the constellation Orion. He said that there was some large pipe that had been placed in front of the observatory and was not sure if he could swing the telescope in that direction but that we might be able to see something. He recommended coming around 8:30. When we made it there he seemed helpful until he asked what I was looking for and I said possibly a comet. I told him I had exact coordinates and that it would be about magnitude 11, diffuse and a red filter would be helpful. He said optimal time to look would be about 9:30. ...
He then re-enters the coordinates which I read off again and moved the telescope. I go to take a look.Near the center I see nothing that I think looks like the 12th (just a couple stars) but at the very top right corner if I moved my head I could see what appeared to be a darkish, diffuse, round spot, fairly large (I also got him to hand me a red filter but was then not able to see even the brightest objects in my view).