Comet LINEAR 252P
Taken by Mark E Seibold on March 31, 2016 @
Portland Oregon
Click photo for larger image
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Camera Used: SONY NEX-5R
Exposure Time: 10/1
Aperture: f/4.5
ISO: 800
Date Taken: 2016:03:31 05:17:42
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Details:
Comet LINEAR 252P Emerges From Waning Moonlight March 31st, 2016.
I was still awake at 3:15 am local PDT time in my home town of Portland Oregon, the frogs were croaking loudly outside, a current temperature at a balmy 50 degrees, I had just swallowed a late night meal, and hot cup of tea, so I felt with Spring in the air, more like an early summer night, what have I got to lose? My two dozenth-30th- or is it about 40th or so comet sightings now since my first at age 3?
I checked the comets position on the skylive interactive site, made some mental notes as to a quick asterism of aligning with signposts Lines drawn through from Antares to Saturn and equidistant due east- grabbed my 10X60 BAK-4 prism binoculars and gawked exactly here the comet should be, trying to keep the rising half-moon from my eyes- streetlights and passing cars lights on a busy street. . . Now nonchalantly setting up my Sony NEX 5R digital camera on the tripod, with stock 18-55mm lens racked up a bit to 35mm, exposed for 10 seconds at 800 ISO, at f/4.5.
I played back the review screen and there it is! A faint smudge of light exactly where the sky chart showed it. It's nucleus is not as compact and defined as Comet Lovejoy or Catalina was at their brightest, but as LINEAR climbs higher into position above the horizons murk in coming days, the moon further wanes, and I get to darker skies perhaps by Friday night, well see.
[In this photo, I've labeled Mars, Saturn, and Antares.]
After labeling Comet LINEAR, I copied and placed a larger inset frame below within this full frame from the camera, for your viewing pleasure and reference. *Photograph was taken at 3:35 am PDT local time, or 10:35 UT, March 31st, 2016. *Location- 10 miles southeast of downtown Portland Oregon.
art & photography by markseibold©1954~2016 all rights reserved
Photographer's website:
http://www.dpreview.com/galleries/1579463287
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