Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy / January 8 2015

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Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy / January 8 2015

[Public Domain] 9 Jan 2015 Dylan O'Donnell
CATEGORY : Astrophotography
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After some learning I’ve finally been able to image a comet through my main 9.25″ SCT telescope! I was helped of course by the fact that Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy is unexpectedly bright, so much so that it is visible with the naked eye in a dark sky, even next to the mostly full moon. The whole world is watching as the comet grows brighter by the day and should peak around Jan 19th. The comet was discovered by prolific comet hunter – Terry Lovejoy, an Australian astronomer from Queensland.

The green colour comes from the icy water vapour the comet ejects into space. This comet will not be back for 8000 years.

4 x 60s / ISO 1600 / Canon 70D / f6.3 Focal Reducer / Stacked in Nebulosity

Here is another version that shows the tail detail a bit better. (3 x 60s subs / ISO 1600)

Even if you don’t have a lot of gear, a regular consumer DSLR will snatch this comet’s photons from the air with a simple long exposure. Just point to the region with a tripod and expose for 4-5 seconds at a high ISO. Here’s one I took on my regular camera from a light polluted city :

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