So today, Our friendly neighborhood mariner Ravindra (peace be with him, amidst high seas of the pacific) called me up. While the talk was generic in most regards, Ravindra made a very circumspect enquiry if there were any new objects in the north!
It took me no time to figure out what Ravindra would be getting to. Now here's a guy with as much astro enthusiasm you'd see anywhere..but is forced to plead complete ignorance to all that's going on about the heavens above! Well ..he deos have the satellite phone..but that's little solace if you want any astro updates.
Back on the topic, Ravindra was supposedly observing from somewhere near Hawaii and was trying to pick out the mandatory H & Chi double cluster in Perseus and misc everyday objects when he came across a big circular patch somewhere (above, he mentioned.. Yet to confirm this) about Mirphak - Alpha persei. Well here he was, he certainly din't have it as easy as we did.. for we were able to pick Holmes out from under sodium vapour lamps! Nonetheless.. given the comet's innate brillinace since the outburst.. It wouldn't really have been an ardrous task despite it's low surface brightness and subsequent dimmening to mag 4 (?Citation needed.)
To ravindra, this was as way brighter than M31 and it really left him intrigued. He wasn't sure whether this was a comet or otherwise..for he couldn't make out any characteristic features armed with a 7X35.. Nonetheless, He was pretty astounded when I told him about our adventures with sighting this one. He was reasonably convinced that he had actually managed to find that elusive comet, much before amar did.