I am down in Florida and viewed the comet and I must say it's a wowzer!
I had not trouble locating it in the east, easily 45 degrees above the
horizon at around 10:30. It's so incredible to see nothing one day and
then poof there it is! You can see why these comets had such a dramatic
effect on people and even why its presence was associated with evil.
With regards to someone's questions concerning orbital parameters, the
more data they collect, the sharper the orbital parameters. From what I
have heard, they have pinpointed (!) the orbital period to between 10-20
Kyears! That's a pretty loose determination. Just goes to show just how
eccentric these comets are!
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Tom K. McCarthy Email:mcca6300@spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov