Have you spotted the ATLAS comet? What tech helped you see it?

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I was able to spot the ATLAS comet tonight, but I’m certain I’d have never seen it, if not for some technology.

  1. My phone, receiving texts from someone who asked if I’d seen it, which prompted me to go look.
  2. My phone, using the Stellarium app, which helped me find just the right location to peer into the sky. (Though all the satellites buzzing around in the app are very distracting, and make me want to try to spot them, too!)

I also used binoculars, but they are not smart binoculars.

As an aside, while visiting Colorado last week I learned that in addition to stargazing apps like Stellarium that map the night sky for you, there’s a “PeakFinder” app that works much the same way, to help you know what mountain you are looking at as you hike.

Have you spotted the comet, and if so, what apps or other technology made it possible for you to find it?

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