C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy
Taken by Deirdre Kelleghan on January 6, 2015 @
Bray Co Wicklow Ireland
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Details:
C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy Jan 6th / 7th 2015 Bray Co Wicklow Ireland
Latitude 53 11 N -6.06 E
Three sketches of the comet within the same sketching frame /FOV over time.
25X100 binoculars 25X Conte and gel pen on black paper
Seeing 2 - Comet magnitude estimate 4
perhaps brightening a little more at one point.
I used Starmap Pro for iPhone to ID the stars in the FOV specific for my location
I used Comet an App which gets its data from the Minor Planet Centre
direct to my phone
DSM - Dark Sky Meter App for iPhone for Sky Quality
My first view of C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy on January 6th was so exciting as it appeared larger and brighter than my view on January 1st. The coma was wider and was itself much brighter , the condensed central mass was noticeably distinguished and more pronounced than before.
The green tint was not visible to me on this occasion , the central mass seemed to dominate the view . Its glow or activity seemed to be lighting up the particles in the coma.
The tail was not visible to me but the asymmetric nature of the comet was. As a major storm was on its way I again stayed observing from my home. Between my second and third observation I engaged my better half to help me move the giant binoculars and tripod to a nearby field. Even though the dark sky reading was darker the tail was not visible.
Earlier in the day I decided that the most interesting thing I could do with this session was to sketch the comets movement over time. Placing the comet in the same FOV for three separate times was a plan aimed at making a short video showing the motion of the comet over time. The three stars above Lovejoy HIP 2047IA HIP 20431 and HIP 20407A were a perfect reference set.
A small triangle of stars which I deliberately placed outside my sketching circle were also very useful for judging the changing position of the comet as it moved during my observations.
Photographer's website:
http://www.deirdrekelleghan.net/
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