Comet 46P/Wirtanen
Taken by Mark A. Brown on December 14, 2018 @
Marion, Iowa
Click photo for larger image
| |
Camera Used: Unavailable Unavailable
Exposure Time: Unavailable
Aperture: Unavailable
ISO: Unavailable
Date Taken: 2018:12:16 06:41:55
|
|
| More images
Details:
Clear skies finally prevailed on Friday, December 14th. With a temperature of 25F and calm wind, I set up my equipment in an attempt to image this near-Earth visitor with acceptable results.
This image is a composite of 48 images showing 25 minutes of the comet's motion with respect to the background stars. A Canon 60Da was coupled to a 66mm Williams Optics refractor at prime focus (f/5). I took 30 second exposures at ISO 1000. Unfortunately weather and light pollution has prevented me from seeing this comet with the unaided eye and the waxing moon will only make things worse. The comet is difficult to see in binoculars, but in a telescope the comet sports a strong central condensation. If you have time to look through a telescope eyepiece, it really is amazing to see the comet's motion over a short interval of time.
A time-lapse video of the comet's motion can be found on YouTube at the following link:
https://youtu.be/kkrmilGVGDE
Photographer's website:
No URL provided.
|
|
|
