evening comet

[devilgas]

comet panstarrs C/2011-L4 made a close approach to the sun during the week. quite a challenge to capture it, as it's proximity to the sun meant it was only visible for a short period after the sun had set.

it was visible to the naked eye, just, and as long as you knew *exactly* where to look. binoculars were a bit easier.

exposures are 4 & 8 secs for each of the photos. the 2nd shows the crescent moon, but with such a long exposure needed to capture the comet, you 'see' the full moon.

enjoy!

[Ian]

Re: evening comet

Fantastic results, Dave Not had an opportunity to see it down here.

Ian

[Pops]

Re: evening comet

Superb captures.
Nothing but cloud here

[devilgas]

Re: evening comet

thanks both. the day i took these, was scheduled to get clear skies between 6 and 8pm. i turned up at my chosen site (needed a clear view to the west) and it was 100% cloud. it actually started to rain about 45 mins before the shots were taken. eventually, the horizon started to clear, although overhead it was complete cloud cover. eventually the horizon cleared enough to give me a glimpse of the moon. from this, i knew where the comet would be (i was aimed a bit too far towards SW), and could begin to capture it.
i had gone to the same location the previous night, but took completely the wrong lens (17-50). the above shots were with a 70-200 2.8 with a 1.4x extender. ideally, i could've done with the scope, however lugging that around in the mx5 is a bit difficult

the comet will become easier to photo later this month, and in april, when it moves higher into the sky towards polaris, breaking free from twilight in the process. however as it'll be going virtually directly away from us, the tail won't be visible as a tail (as above) but just as a smudge with a bright nucleus.

was well pleased to have captured what i did, especially when i learned it won't come back around for another pass for another 10,000 years.

[Greytop]

Re: evening comet

Impressive images Dave, thanks for sharing these