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Details:
The ISS made a pass tonight not far from Polaris and the comet right at the end of evening twilight. I took advantage of the fact that both were near Polaris where the stars don't move so fast in their arcs around the pole, so I put the camera on a regular tripod and didn't bother dragging outside the equatorial mount.
I did use a star tracker for the closeup of the comet, but I still kept it simple by using a point-n-shoot superzoom camera, not my mirrorless camera. Aiming a 600mm-equivalent lens near the pole is tricky, though.
It was also hot. Despite taking the photos around midnight, temperatures were in the mid-80's F., and a couple hours before dawn it had dropped only to 80° (26.6° C.). This weekend the nights are predicted to stay above 80° the entire night.
#1: comet and ISS pass
#2: closer view of comet
#3: map of ISS's path (from heavens-above.com)
Photo data:
#1: Panasonic GX8, TTArtisan 50mm, photo tripod
... 1 x (f/2.8, 30 sec, ISO 800) = 30 sec
... zenith up, aimed at Polaris; FOV=15° x 20°
... date: Jul 11, 2023 10:57pm MDT
#2: Panasonic FZ300, 600mm EFL, star tracker
... 40 x (f/2.8, 30 sec, ISO 800) = 20 min
... zenith up, N left W up; FOV = 3 1/4° x 2 1/2°
... date: Jul 12, 2023 midnight MDT (= Jul 12, 2023 6:00 UT)
Photographer's website:
No URL provided.
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