Interesting structure and outbursts. Imaged from the Astronomical Society of Edinburgh’s remote telescope in Trevinca, Spain.
| Object ID | 12P/Pons-Brooks |
| Details | 2023-12-02 18:56 – 19:02 UT mag. 8.85, coma 7.3′ tail 10′, PA 34° |
| Telescope | Askar 94 mm f/4.4 Triplet Apo JTW Trident P75 mount |
| Camera | ToupTek Colour IMX571 |
| Filters | Optolong L |
| Exposure(s) | 11 x 30s exposures |
| Capture | NINA |
| Processing | Processed in APP and PS |
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 ID | 12P/Pons-Brooks |
| Details | 2023-11-19 18:46 – 19:10 UT mag. 9.0, coma 4.7′ tail 18′, PA 44° |
| Telescope | Sharpstar 94 mm f/4.4 Triplet Apo JTW Trident P75 mount |
| Camera | ToupTek Colour IMX571 |
| Filters | Optolong L |
| Exposure(s) | 9 x 180s exposures |
| Capture | NINA |
| Processing | Processed in APP and PS |
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 ID | C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) |
| Details | 2023-05-14 23:24 UT |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian MPCC |
| Camera | QHY168C @-10°C |
| Filters | IDAS D3 |
| Exposure(s) | 7x180s |
| Capture | NINA |
| Processing | APP, ASTAP, Photoshop |
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 ID | C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) |
| Details | 2023-04-20 22:38 UT |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian MPCC |
| Camera | ATIK 460EX @-10°C |
| Filters | V |
| Exposure(s) | 10x180s |
| Capture | NINA |
| Processing | APP, ASTAP, Photoshop |
Brighter still. 3 tails including sunward pointing one. Ion tail is twisting having suffered a “discontinuation event” caused by CMEs from the Sun.
| Object ID | Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) |
| Details | 2023-01-25 23:13 – 22:22 UT |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX @-10°C |
| Filters | R |
| Exposure(s) | 20x60s |
| Capture | NINA |
| Processing | APP, Photoshop |
Moving very fast now. 20 minutes, each step 60s.
Getting brighter. 2 tails
| Object ID | Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) |
| Details | 2023-01-16 23:13 – 23:38 UT |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX @-10°C |
| Filters | V |
| Exposure(s) | 20x60s |
| Capture | NINA |
| Processing | APP, Photoshop |
Hard to get a magnitude with so many star in and around but still in outburst. Removed as many using ASTAP and got V mag. of 12.0.
| Object ID | 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann |
| Details | 2022-12-20 23:00 UT V 12.0 |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian, MPCC |
| Camera | Atik 460EX @-10°C |
| Filters | Baader V |
| Exposure(s) | 10x180s |
| Capture | NINA |
| Processing | APP, Photoshop |
Nicely placed close to the Pole
| Object ID | Comet C/2020 V2 (ZTF) |
| Details | 2020-12-14 23:00 – 23:22 UT
|
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian, MPCC |
| Camera | Atik 460EX @-10°C |
| Filters | V |
| Exposure(s) | 20 x 60s |
| Capture | NINA |
| Processing | APP, 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
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 ID | Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann |
| Details | 2022-11-25 21:15 – 21:29 UT |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX @-10°C |
| Filters | V |
| Exposure(s) | 4x30s 1x60s |
| Capture | NINA |
| Processing | APP, 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
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 ID | Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) |
| Details | 2022-07-26 23:39 – 00:01 UT |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian MPCC |
| Camera | Atik 460EX @-10 °C |
| Filters | Photometric V |
| Exposure(s) | 20 x 60s |
| Capture | NINA |
| Processing | APP, Photoshop, ASTAP |
theskylive.com
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 ID | Comet 19P Borrelly |
| Details | 2022-02-26 21:02:22 – 21:42:46 |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian V filter |
| Camera | Atik 460EX @-10°C |
| Exposure(s) | 20 x 120s darks, flats, bias |
| Capture | NINA |
| Processing | ASTAP, Photoshop |
Monitored over about 45 minutes
| Object ID | C/2019 L3 ATLAS |
| Details | 2022-01-03 19:11:26 – 19:54:09 UT |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian, MPCC |
| Camera | QHY168C IDAS D3 |
| Exposure(s) | 15 x 180s darks, flats, bias |
| Capture | NINA |
| Processing | APP, Photoshop |
Attempted photometry:
Animation showing movement over the period
The comet visited by Rosetta. Low down in the Edinburgh murk.
| Object ID | 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko |
| Details | 2021-12-14 22:28 – 00:10 UT |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian MPCC, IDAS P2 |
| Camera | QHY168C @-15°C |
| Exposure(s) | 14x180s, darks, flats, bias |
| Capture | NINA |
| Processing | APP, Photoshop |
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 ID | C/2020 F3 NEOWISE |
| Details | 2020-07-18 23:22UT |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX @-15C |
| Exposure(s) | 5×30 each RGB Darks |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | SiriL, DSS, Photoshop |
Getting larger and diffuse.
| Object ID | Coment 46P/Wirtanen |
| Details | 2018-12-09 19:30 – 19:56 UT |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian IDAS P2, MPCC |
| Camera | Canon 600D |
| Exposure(s) | 30 x 40s ISO 800 |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | Deep Sky Stacker comet mode Photoshop |
Tail starting to develop and definitely getting brighter
| Object ID | 21P/Giacobini-Zinner |
| Details | 2018-08-16 22:09:30 – 22:23:23 UT |
| Telescope | 200mm Newtonian f5 |
| Camera | ZWO ASI290MC |
| Exposure(s) | 20 x 15s, 30s delay between exposures |
| Capture | SharpCap |
| Processing | Nebulosity, Photoshop |
Moving through the constellation of Cassiopeia
| Object ID | 21P/Giacobini-Zinner |
| Details | 2018-08-03 22:12 – 22:25 UT Approx. mag. 9 |
| Telescope | 200mm Newtonian f5 |
| Camera | ZWO ASI 290MC |
| Exposure(s) | 20 x 10s exposures, 30seconds apart |
| Capture | SharpCap |
| Processing | Photoshop |
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.
5-11-2007
180mm f15 Mak-Cass, Canon EOS 350D
Subs: 10x25s
Re-processed in Nebulosity and PhotoShop CS3
Was it really this green?
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!
