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12P/Pons-Brooks 2023-12-02 ASERO

2023-12-03T19:21:09+00:003 December 2023|ASERO, Comet, News|

Interesting structure and outbursts. Imaged from the Astronomical Society of Edinburgh’s remote telescope in Trevinca, Spain.

Object ID12P/Pons-Brooks
Details2023-12-02 18:56 – 19:02 UT
mag. 8.85, coma 7.3′
tail 10′, PA 34°
TelescopeAskar 94 mm f/4.4 Triplet Apo
JTW Trident P75 mount
CameraToupTek Colour IMX571
FiltersOptolong L
Exposure(s)11 x 30s exposures
CaptureNINA
ProcessingProcessed in APP and PS

12P/Pons-Brooks 2023-11-19 ASERO

2023-12-04T19:02:06+00:0021 November 2023|ASERO, Comet, News|

Interesting structure and outbursts. Imaged from the Astronomical Society of Edinburgh’s remote telescope in Trevinca, Spain. Extreme stretch to show the kink in the developing tail.

Object ID12P/Pons-Brooks
Details2023-11-19 18:46 – 19:10 UT
mag. 9.0, coma 4.7′
tail 18′, PA 44°
TelescopeSharpstar 94 mm f/4.4 Triplet Apo
JTW Trident P75 mount
CameraToupTek Colour IMX571
FiltersOptolong L
Exposure(s)9 x 180s exposures
CaptureNINA
ProcessingProcessed in APP and PS

C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) 2023-05-14

2023-05-20T10:28:49+00:0020 May 2023|Comet, News|

Stacked on the comet so the stars trail and the comet remains still. Very faint at a mag of 16.9 CV and coma size < 0.4′

Object IDC/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS)
Details2023-05-14 23:24 UT
Telescope250mm f4.8 Newtonian
MPCC
CameraQHY168C @-10°C
FiltersIDAS D3
Exposure(s)7x180s
CaptureNINA
ProcessingAPP, ASTAP, Photoshop

C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS)

2023-04-28T15:28:23+00:0028 April 2023|Comet, News|

The comet “meant” to put on a naked eye show in 2024. Still very far away and faint at about magnitude 17. Stacked on the comet so the stars trail and the comet remains still. Very faint at a mag of about 17 and come size 0.5′

Object IDC/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS)
Details2023-04-20 22:38 UT
Telescope250mm f4.8 Newtonian
MPCC
CameraATIK 460EX @-10°C
FiltersV
Exposure(s)10x180s
CaptureNINA
ProcessingAPP, ASTAP, Photoshop

C/2022 E3 (ZTF) in R

2023-01-27T16:17:14+00:0027 January 2023|Comet, News|

Brighter still. 3 tails including sunward pointing one. Ion tail is twisting having suffered a “discontinuation event” caused by CMEs from the Sun.

Object IDComet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)
Details2023-01-25 23:13 – 22:22 UT
Telescope250mm f4.8 Newtonian
CameraAtik 460EX @-10°C
FiltersR
Exposure(s)20x60s
CaptureNINA
ProcessingAPP, Photoshop

Moving very fast now. 20 minutes, each step 60s.

Comet C/2020 V2 (ZTF)

2023-03-14T13:58:05+00:0015 December 2022|Comet, News|

Nicely placed close to the Pole

Object IDComet C/2020 V2 (ZTF)
Details2020-12-14 23:00 – 23:22 UT

  • Coma mag. 10.8
  • Coma diameter 1.5′
  • Tail pa 147°, length 4′
Telescope250mm f4.8 Newtonian, MPCC
CameraAtik 460EX @-10°C
FiltersV
Exposure(s)20 x 60s
CaptureNINA
ProcessingAPP, Photoshop, ASTAP

Using Astrometrica and Comphot gives:
10×10 20×20 30×30 40×40 50×50 60×60
12.49 11.64 11.21 10.92 10.72 10.57 # Counts
12.49 11.70 11.25 10.96 10.74 10.59 # Median annuli
Total integrated magnitude: 10.22 (radius 73.3 arcsec)
COMPHOT: 1.4.6 2022 12 19.811 10.22 2.44 17.45 25.59 23.52 1102.1 0.78 Astrometrica 4.11.1.442 Unknown C-2020-V2-ZTF cometstack.fits

Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann in outburst

2023-03-14T13:57:37+00:0027 November 2022|Comet, News|

Reported by the BAA to be in outburst. V mag (ASTAP) 12.0

Latest outburst: 2022 11 21.83 +/-0.40 15.70R => 11.95R

Object IDComet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann
Details2022-11-25 21:15 – 21:29 UT
Telescope250mm f4.8 Newtonian
CameraAtik 460EX @-10°C
FiltersV
Exposure(s)4x30s 1x60s
CaptureNINA
ProcessingAPP, ASTAP, Photoshop

Using Astrometrica / Comphot method:

10×10 20×20 30×30 40×40 50×50 60×60
12.31 11.81 11.52 11.31 11.18 11.09 # Counts
12.31 11.85 11.55 11.35 11.23 11.15 # Median annuli
Total integrated magnitude: 10.11 (radius 157.9 arcsec)
COMPHOT: 1.4.6 2022 11 28.881 10.11 5.26 16.65 24.82 43.05 1137.1 0.78 Astrometrica 4.11.1.442 Unknown 29P-Schwassmann-Wach comet.fits

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)

2022-08-03T16:58:29+00:0027 July 2022|Comet, News|

20 frames and stacked on the comet. V magnitude of 13.6, which is fainter than the Clear values given on COBS, as expected.

Object IDComet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)
Details2022-07-26 23:39 – 00:01 UT
Telescope250mm f4.8 Newtonian
MPCC
CameraAtik 460EX @-10 °C
FiltersPhotometric V
Exposure(s)20 x 60s
CaptureNINA
ProcessingAPP, Photoshop, ASTAP

C-2022 C3 ZTF Orbit

theskylive.com

19P/Borrelly

2022-03-01T18:03:32+00:0028 February 2022|Comet, News|

Currently the brightest comet around at about mag. 9. Photometry with ASTAP gives me a V magnitude of 9.7. Animation shows it heading away from the Sun now, after perihelion (1 Feb 2022), tail first.

Object IDComet 19P Borrelly
Details2022-02-26 21:02:22 – 21:42:46
Telescope250mm f4.8 Newtonian
V filter
CameraAtik 460EX @-10°C
Exposure(s)20 x 120s
darks, flats, bias
CaptureNINA
ProcessingASTAP, Photoshop
19P Borrelly Animation

C/2019 L3 ATLAS

2022-01-05T14:51:50+00:005 January 2022|Comet, News|

Monitored over about 45 minutes

Object IDC/2019 L3 ATLAS
Details2022-01-03
19:11:26 – 19:54:09 UT
Telescope250mm f4.8 Newtonian, MPCC
CameraQHY168C IDAS D3
Exposure(s)15 x 180s
darks, flats, bias
CaptureNINA
ProcessingAPP, Photoshop

Attempted photometry:

Animation showing movement over the period

C/2020 F3 NEOWISE

2020-07-20T19:47:30+00:0020 July 2020|Comet, News|

Wrong telescope for a comet of this size (8 degree – only 0.5 degree FOV) but came out quite well. Surprising colour combinations – green coma expected, red tail not. Cloned out the trailed RGB stars in PS.

Object IDC/2020 F3 NEOWISE
Details2020-07-18 23:22UT
Telescope250mm f4.8 Newtonian
CameraAtik 460EX @-15C
Exposure(s)5×30 each RGB
Darks
CaptureAPT
ProcessingSiriL, DSS, Photoshop

Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner brightening and tail developing

2018-08-17T10:46:06+00:0017 August 2018|Comet, News|

Tail starting to develop and definitely getting brighter

Object ID21P/Giacobini-Zinner
Details2018-08-16 22:09:30 – 22:23:23 UT
Telescope200mm Newtonian f5
CameraZWO ASI290MC
Exposure(s)20 x 15s, 30s delay between exposures
CaptureSharpCap
ProcessingNebulosity, Photoshop

Comet 21P/Giacobin-Zinner animation

2018-08-18T16:27:51+00:004 August 2018|Comet, News|

Moving through the constellation of Cassiopeia

Object ID21P/Giacobini-Zinner
Details2018-08-03 22:12 – 22:25 UT
Approx. mag. 9
Telescope200mm Newtonian f5
CameraZWO ASI 290MC
Exposure(s)20 x 10s exposures, 30seconds apart
CaptureSharpCap
ProcessingPhotoshop
21P gif animation

103P/Hartley

2017-01-31T10:52:45+00:008 October 2010|Comet, News|

2010-09-07 21:00 UT
200mm f5 Newtonian SW LPR MPCC
Canon EOS 350D Guided
5x60s 5x90s 3x120s subs darks ISO 800
Processed in Nebulosity, PhotoShop CS5
Also 1 frame to show comet against star field without trailing.

From Wikipedia: Comet Hartley 2, officially designated 103P/Hartley, is a small periodic comet with an orbital period of 6.46 years. It was discovered by Malcolm Hartley in 1986 at the Schmidt Telescope Unit in Siding Spring, Australia. Its diameter is estimated to be 1.2 to 1.6 km. It will be the subject of a flyby by the Deep Impact spacecraft on November 4, 2010, with a closest approach of 700 kilometers. This is part of the EPOXI mission.

And here’s NASA’s view of it from the EPOXI mission.

Hale-Bopp

2013-11-03T19:00:38+00:0030 August 2009|Comet|

Some time in 1997?

A blast from the past. Found this scan of a picture I took of Hale-Bopp from the Isle of Arran. Don’t have much info about it but it was taken with a 35mm Praktica and a 135mm lens.

Trees and light pollution are obviously an issue but not too bad. An impressive comet!