I just saw 17/P tonight...she is BEAUTIFUL. Very bright--easily visible with moderate light pollution and a nearly full Moon, and the declination could not be more favorable at this time of year. Though I'm no expert in guessing magnitudes, it looks nearly as bright as Alpha Persei itself, which would peg it at solid second mag. Beautiful in 10x50s, and impressive even in my 60mm at 30x; very symmetrical coma, with a noticeably off-center brightness at its nucleus. If my eyes don't deceive me, I even saw hints of shell structure myself.
An astronomical treat all around, and my first periodic comet.
