Comet Panstarrs K1
Faint comet in Hydra
September 29, 2014
This
binocular brightness comet is currently very low in the morning
sky, just before sunup in Hydra just below the "head".
Now at magnitude 7, it can be easily seen as a glowing patch
with just a hint of dust tail in the 11x80s and is a rewarding
sight in images with the 12.5" astrograph. This comet is
coming in and will brighten, but get even lower and then head
south for the southern hemisphere. Here the comet was so low
in the morning twilight that only half the telescope aperture
could get the comet over the observatory wall. Not the best conditions,
but it did record as a splendid object. I spent most of the time
dodging morning monsoon clouds for this shot, barely getting
in 15 minutes total on it. | |
This 3/4 degree wide field show the comet
stunning cyan coloration in the head, a decidedly
yellow dust tail to the upper left, and a faint hint
of a blue gas tail pointing to the right.
Select an image size for a larger view:
1290 x 960
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Lens: 12.5" f/5 Home bult Newtonian
Platform: Astrophysics AP1200
Exposure: 15m LRGB
Location: Payson, Arizona
Elevation: 5150 ft.
Sky: Seeing 7/10, Transparency 8/10
Outside Temperature: 50F
Processing Tools: Maxim DL, Photoshop CS2
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