A Collection of Comets

[Wildbegonia]

WOW! Magnifique! Thank you for sharing your photos.

Thanks for the kind comment, Wildbegonia. I'm pleased that some have found this thread to be interesting. It has been fascinating to see these objects over the years. When will the next great comet appear?

Encke's Comet.

 

[RustierOne]

WOW! Magnifique! Thank you for sharing your photos.

Thanks for the kind comment, Wildbegonia. I'm pleased that some have found this thread to be interesting. It has been fascinating to see these objects over the years. When will the next great comet appear?

Encke's Comet.

That could be among the best for this year. Still I was hoping for another like the comets on this list:

• Great Comets

But we'll just have to take advantage of what comes our way. It seems like the southern hemisphere has had the last two (Lovejoy and McNaught. Yet I can't complain having seen 5 of the last 10 greats (Arend-Roland, Kohoutec, West, Hyakutaki, Hale-Bopp). Still it has been over 20 years since Hale-Bopp. So we could be due for another this year. I hope both hemispheres would have a view when brightest.

 

[RustierOne]

After failing last night to see Comet C/2019 Y4 (Atlas) with my 115mm refractor, I tried tonight with my grab-n-go 10-inch f/5 reflector. The current location of the comet is in the northwestern sky, not so far from the north celestial pole. It lies in the midst of the prominent stars of three constellations: Auriga, Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. Its actual residence is in Camelopardalis. Say that 5 times without biting your tongue. In any case its location makes for a neck-breaking exercise to use a finder for pointing. But with the use of finder and digital setting circles (in RA-DEC mode), I was able to see Comet Atlas, # 29 in my collection of comets. Using a Televue Nagler 11mm T6 eyepiece at ~115X, I was able to see an elongated coma with no nuclear condensation apparent. It did sport a suggestion of a tail just 3 arc-minutes in length. I will attempt a photograph tomorrow night.

I have two good options for optical tubes: An old film-era Pentax 200mm f/4.0 or my f/7 AT115EDT triplet APO refractor. Here are the potential fields of view:


FOV simulation, 200 mm, f/4 and 805 mm, f/7 with ASI290MC camera

This is a SkySafari simulation. The two rectangles show the FOV for the 200mm (large) and the 115mm refractor (small). The length of the comet's tail is much exaggerated. Visually it is around 1/4 the small FOV's long dimension. Photographically it will likely be longer. The refractor will be my OTA of choice, because it allows for rotating the camera in the focuser to better orient the tail in the FOV. Also its longer focal length will provide a nice image scale.

I'll be using my EAA rig (electronically assisted astronomy). This uses SharpCap Pro software to live stack a series of frames captured with the video camera. While it likely produces slightly inferior results versus more complex methods, it is super simple. The first image shows on the laptop screen, very noisy and of low color saturations. But as the stack builds before your eyes, noise smooths out, image details strengthen and color saturation increases. This method can my opinion provide the best of two forms of observing - visual and photographic. After the stack is completed, further post processing is possible.



If I can get some results photographing Comet Altas, I'll share with the forum.

--
Best Regards,
Russ

 

[Wildbegonia]

Beautiful! Thank you for sharing.

 

[Astrophotographer 10]

That's a nice collection.

Greg.

 

[Greg VdB]

Great that you could see and catch it, Russ, I'm looking forward to the result however noisy or smooth it may be! It's best to observe it right now, probably, before it breaks up entirely and sizzles out.

If you want to add #30 to the collection straight away, there's another chance up in the skies right now:

https://spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=16&month=04&year=2020

Best regards,

--
Greg Van den Bleeken
www.pbase.com/gbleek
vimeo.com/vdbphotography
Take photographs *you* want to look at. Take photographs you want to *look* at. (Ed Leys)

 

[RustierOne]

Great that you could see and catch it, Russ, I'm looking forward to the result however noisy or smooth it may be! It's best to observe it right now, probably, before it breaks up entirely and sizzles out.

If you want to add #30 to the collection straight away, there's another chance up in the skies right now:

https://spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=16&month=04&year=2020

Thanks for the comment, Greg. I hope to see SWAN this week, since it looks to be clear for a while. I did bag #30 tonight - C/2017 T2 PanSTARRS. Here is a copy of my report on cloudy nights:

Tonight was the first clear night in quite some time on the Oregon coast. But I was able to find C/2017 T2 PanSTARRS with my little AT115EDT refractor on go-to G-11 mount. With the 24mm TV Panoptic (34X, ~2° TFOV) the comet along with galaxies M81/M82 were in the FOV. Using SkySafari I noticed that another galaxy was in the FOV, 9.9 magnitude NGC 3077. This faint smudge was identified by its proximity to a distinctive triangle of stars. There was an 11.5 magnitude star near this triangle that could be discerned most of the time. To see the faint galaxy required putting it in the center of the FOV and averted vision. It was just a "faint fuzzy", perhaps a bit oval. While I could not see the comet and all 3 galaxies at the same time, they did fit in the FOV. One nice comet and three galaxies in the same field was satisfying.

As for the comet using my TV 11mm T6 Nagler (73X, 1.1° TFOV), the coma was seen against a darker background (compared to the Panoptic view). It still looked best with averted vision. No tail was apparent. But occasionally a stellar pseudo-nucleus was see in the coma. This was also glimpsed with the Panoptic. So this comet was not spectacular, but still nicely visible with the little 115mm APO. No doubt with my 8- or 11-inch SCTs the view would be enhanced. In any case this is comet #30 in my collection of comets, seen starting in 1957, some 63 years. I hope to live to see more, particularly Comet SWAN. [End of CN report]

I might try using EAA (electronically assisted astronomy) to get a photo of PanSTARRS. SWAN is not visible from my garden observing site - too low in my northern sky. So I may take my new Oberwerk 20X65 binoculars to my remote dark site. It is a 1-1/2 drive. But it has a good view to the north and is Bortle 2 perhaps.

So I'm still alive despite corona-virus. Just trying to remain so by being obedient to directives by health professionals.

Best Wishes to All on the Astrophotography-forum

--
Russ

 

[Greg VdB]

Great that you could see and catch it, Russ, I'm looking forward to the result however noisy or smooth it may be! It's best to observe it right now, probably, before it breaks up entirely and sizzles out.

If you want to add #30 to the collection straight away, there's another chance up in the skies right now:

https://spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=16&month=04&year=2020

Thanks for the comment, Greg. I hope to see SWAN this week, since it looks to be clear for a while. I did bag #30 tonight - C/2017 T2 PanSTARRS. Here is a copy of my report on cloudy nights:

Tonight was the first clear night in quite some time on the Oregon coast. But I was able to find C/2017 T2 PanSTARRS with my little AT115EDT refractor on go-to G-11 mount. With the 24mm TV Panoptic (34X, ~2° TFOV) the comet along with galaxies M81/M82 were in the FOV. Using SkySafari I noticed that another galaxy was in the FOV, 9.9 magnitude NGC 3077. This faint smudge was identified by its proximity to a distinctive triangle of stars. There was an 11.5 magnitude star near this triangle that could be discerned most of the time. To see the faint galaxy required putting it in the center of the FOV and averted vision. It was just a "faint fuzzy", perhaps a bit oval. While I could not see the comet and all 3 galaxies at the same time, they did fit in the FOV. One nice comet and three galaxies in the same field was satisfying.

As for the comet using my TV 11mm T6 Nagler (73X, 1.1° TFOV), the coma was seen against a darker background (compared to the Panoptic view). It still looked best with averted vision. No tail was apparent. But occasionally a stellar pseudo-nucleus was see in the coma. This was also glimpsed with the Panoptic. So this comet was not spectacular, but still nicely visible with the little 115mm APO. No doubt with my 8- or 11-inch SCTs the view would be enhanced. In any case this is comet #30 in my collection of comets, seen starting in 1957, some 63 years. I hope to live to see more, particularly Comet SWAN. [End of CN report]

I might try using EAA (electronically assisted astronomy) to get a photo of PanSTARRS. SWAN is not visible from my garden observing site - too low in my northern sky. So I may take my new Oberwerk 20X65 binoculars to my remote dark site. It is a 1-1/2 drive. But it has a good view to the north and is Bortle 2 perhaps.

So I'm still alive despite corona-virus. Just trying to remain so by being obedient to directives by health professionals.

Best Wishes to All on the Astrophotography-forum

Hi Russ,

Nice to hear from you and to read your report of #30. That's quite the collection, congrats! Also good to know you are following the advice of the health professionals instead of, well, you know whom...


I did a quick search for those binoculars, and wow, they look impressive! Just observing a dark night sky without the hassle of astrophotography can be very rewarding. I hope those bino's will deliver some memorable sights, comet or otherwise.

Best regards,

--
Greg Van den Bleeken
www.pbase.com/gbleek
vimeo.com/vdbphotography
Take photographs *you* want to look at. Take photographs you want to *look* at. (Ed Leys)

 

[RustierOne]

This is about the best I can do up to this point in photographing Comet Neowise. I was able to observe this very good comet on 7 nights, two of which included photographic efforts. A home made barn-door tracker was used with film-era Pentax 135mm f/2.5 telephoto lens and Sony NEX-7 (ISO 800). Stacking 17 30-second exposures with DeepSkyStacker in comet stacking mode produced the following photo. I hope with further processing some of the stacking artifacts can be removed. I hope y'all were able to observe this nice comet. This one is number 31 of those I have seen in 63 years.

--
Best Regards,
Russ


C/2020 F3, Comet Neowise on 2020 July 18

Notice the orange star between the two tails. This I believe is carbon star RT Ursae Majoris. According to SkySafari it has a color index of 2.34, red and C4.4 spectrum.

 

[Greg VdB]

Hi Russ,

That is a great addition to your comet collection! Considering you used a film-era lens and a home-built tracker, I'd say you achieved a stellar result. The weid-looking star between the two tails is just the icing on the cake.

Best regards,

 

[1DSmII]

Great result Russ. The tails stand out very well.

 

[starman1969]

Excellent work Russ. I got plenty of views of the comet, so I’m very happy. I hope you are all keeping well.

 

[Michael S.]

This is about the best I can do up to this point in photographing Comet Neowise. I was able to observe this very good comet on 7 nights, two of which included photographic efforts. A home made barn-door tracker was used with film-era Pentax 135mm f/2.5 telephoto lens and Sony NEX-7 (ISO 800). Stacking 17 30-second exposures with DeepSkyStacker in comet stacking mode produced the following photo. I hope with further processing some of the stacking artifacts can be removed. I hope y'all were able to observe this nice comet. This one is number 31 of those I have seen in 63 years.

--
Best Regards,
Russ


C/2020 F3, Comet Neowise on 2020 July 18

Notice the orange star between the two tails. This I believe is carbon star RT Ursae Majoris. According to SkySafari it has a color index of fsn2.34, red and C4.4 spectrum.

Fantastic image of Neowise... great separation of its tails.



--
Michael S.
EUROPE; dpreview since 2001
(check equipment via profile)

 

[Vunite]

Lovely post I'm not an astrophotographer, but I want to do a few of my own (so I got me a tracker even). Nothing big, no telescopes, just a few things I can do with a camera and its lens.

I loved the Lovejoy most I think. Sure, Hale-Bopp etc have their fantastic photo quality and plumes, but I like how Lovejoy has this thin, speedy looking plume, looking ambitious I understand why people think the comet travels opposed to the plume if they see Lovejoys picture.

 

[RustierOne]

Lovely post I'm not an astrophotographer, but I want to do a few of my own (so I got me a tracker even). Nothing big, no telescopes, just a few things I can do with a camera and its lens.

I loved the Lovejoy most I think. Sure, Hale-Bopp etc have their fantastic photo quality and plumes, but I like how Lovejoy has this thin, speedy looking plume, looking ambitious I understand why people think the comet travels opposed to the plume if they see Lovejoys picture.

Thanks for the kind remarks Greg, Steve, Leo, Michael & Vunite.

Yes, the tails (or plume) indicate the direction the solar wind is blowing. This may be different than the direction the comet is moving. It could also be the same direction if the wind is at its back. Thus the tail precedes the comet as it is moving outward from the sun.

--
Best Regards,
Russ

 

[mac01]

Hey Russ, I think you did a tremendous job on image acquisition and processing. It's obvious you are able to do a lot with some very basic equipment. Thanks so much for sharing your image. Chris

 

[RustierOne]

Hey Russ, I think you did a tremendous job on image acquisition and processing. It's obvious you are able to do a lot with some very basic equipment. Thanks so much for sharing your image. Chris

Hi Chris,

It's great to hear from you. Thanks for your encouraging comments. I haven't done much astrophotography of late, mostly visual observing from home. But this very nice comet got me moving with photography, at least on a couple of nights. I learned that, like meteors, for comets go for wide open shooting. The stars may suffer, but the comet with thank you. I just wish I had remembered to shoot JPEG + RAW. But Deepskystacker did what it could with the JPEGs I fed to it. I hear that PixInsight has a comet stacking mode. I just shudder to think of feeding it JPEGs. Plus I haven't really taken much time trying to learn using PI.

Next up is a couple of meteor showers - Perseids and Geminids. After that I'll return to my old visual observing. It is much less complex for a 74 year old astronomer.

I hope your circumstances with new job have been working well for you.

 

[RustierOne]

While my attempts at DSS stacking a series of comet images produced some OK results, I was not pleased with some artifacts around the coma of the comet. In contrast here is a single image post processed with Lightroom-5:


C/2020 F3 Neowise in twilight, Pentax 135 mm, f/2.5

Here's another single frame with a different color interpretation:


C/2020 F3 Neowise (later) in twilight, Pentax 135 mm, f/2.5

--
Best Regards,
Russ

 

[RustierOne]

RustierOne wrote (of Comet Neowise):

This one is number 31 of those I have seen in 63 years.

Comet Neowise was preceded by another comet, an observation of which I belatedly transcribed from voice recorder to Observations Spreadsheet - Comet Atlas C/2019 Y4. I'll call this comet #32. Here is my record of observing it with a 10-inch Dob reflector on 2020 April 13:

• At 53X an oblong glow showing best with averted vision, right in among field stars as shown by SkySafari, looks like a galaxy, holds with direct vision, even with dark cloth over head excluding most of extraneous light nothing much else is seen, at 115X background sky is darker making it easier to see the elongated fuzzy streak, the larger coma surrounding that streak is not centered on it, the coma is hard to see, the brighter streak is twice as long as it is wide, kind of exciting to see another comet, no tail seen, with further scrutiny the elongated streak is a bit brighter at one end suggesting a tail going in the opposite direction, the length of the streak is around 3 arc-minutes

No photos were taken of this one. Compared to Neowise, Comet Atlas was a dud, but nonetheless an interesting one.

 

[RustierOne]

RustierOne wrote (of Comet Neowise):

This one is number 31 of those I have seen in 63 years.

Comet Neowise was preceded by another comet, an observation of which I belatedly transcribed from voice recorder to Observations Spreadsheet - Comet Atlas C/2019 Y4. I'll call this comet #32. Here is my record of observing it with a 10-inch Dob reflector on 2020 April 13:

• At 53X an oblong glow showing best with averted vision, right in among field stars as shown by SkySafari, looks like a galaxy, holds with direct vision, even with dark cloth over head excluding most of extraneous light nothing much else is seen, at 115X background sky is darker making it easier to see the elongated fuzzy streak, the larger coma surrounding that streak is not centered on it, the coma is hard to see, the brighter streak is twice as long as it is wide, kind of exciting to see another comet, no tail seen, with further scrutiny the elongated streak is a bit brighter at one end suggesting a tail going in the opposite direction, the length of the streak is around 3 arc-minutes

No photos were taken of this one. Compared to Neowise, Comet Atlas was a dud, but nonetheless an interesting one.

Here's another comet - Comet PanSTARRS C/2017 T2, observed on the night of 2020 May 22 with a 115mm triplet refractor, AT115EDT:

• At 34X in same FOV with galaxies M81 & M82 - at 73X (after considerable time getting dark adaptation) with averted vision shows an amorphous glow, direct vision sometimes shows a little stellar pseudo-nucleus, no indication of a tail, comet not particularly easy to see at this power, back at 34X with aid of SkySafari there is a another faint galaxy next to a triangle of bright stars - NGC 3077. So that is 3 galaxies and Comet PanSTARRS in the same FOV

Again there were no photographic observations of this one, which is comet #33.

--
Best Regards,
Russ