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You should have had them look at comet Holmes. A week or two ago it could still be seen with the naked eye if your skies were dark enough, and easily with binoculars. It is much dimmer now, but you can still see it with binoculars, and with a telescope you can see the tail. See
www.skyandtelescope.com for more information.
If you saw Jupiter, you must have been looking low in the sky just after sunset as it sets shortly after that. After midnight, Mars and Saturn rise high in the sky, and in the early morning Venus rises as the brightest object in the night sky except for the moon.
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Funny you mention this comet. I saw it this AM naked eye and I didn't know it was news. Luckily I had my field guide and it showed nothing there so I 'discovered' my first comet.