cometary organics

Comet 96P/Machholz has emerged into the predawn sky following its perihelion passage earlier this week. Here it was this morning from Pasadena, at ~2 degrees above the horizon and ~14 degrees from the Sun, with a hint of the first ~5' of its dust tail. Very rough photometry gives a coma r' magnitude of ~7. Observing conditions will rapidly improve over the next week as the comet fades.