Comet Ison Brightening, Lovejoy Not Far Behind

[ka4koe]

For those of us who are also amateur astronomers, Comet Ison is brightening. My local club estimates brightness to at least mag 4.5 (6 is limit of eye visibility at a dark site).

See the Sky and Telescope Links:

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/ataglance

http://media.skyandtelescope.com/documents/Comets_Ison_Lovejoy_LateNov.pdf

Cloudy Nights Links:

http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Board/planets/Number/6132186/page/0/view/collapsed/sb/5/o/all/fpart/9

I guess its time to bring out the Big 8". See photo of my Vixen R200SS.

Philip

[N2DTS]

Do we put on our blue Keds yet?

[W3RSW]

Braggidio,   Perhaps one of these in more halcyon days:

First is 4 in. Unitron, note weight driven clock drive.

Second is 6 in. OTI Quantum Maksutov

The last is wide field 4 in. Brandon. (Venus Transit that early morning)

Post your radio (operator)-controlled scopes here. Phillip started it, heh, heh.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

[KF1Z]

Best I have so far.....

Not a great pic, and didn't get half the tail...  oh well....

[W3RSW]

Gorgeous and lots of detail. I see hints of ion tail just above tons of wreathed dust tail.  Trajectory almost same heading straight into close sun encounter.
And look at the bow shock, would'ja.  Bet a nucleus close-up would show more.

[KF1Z]

I'm still hoping it's just grazes the suns atmosphere..
makes it out 'the other side'.

and becomes visible during the day.

THAT will be fun!   

[Opcom]

this is cool. youtube is full of people making videos of doom and screaming 'run for the hills' and worse. Some videos say the moon is rotated. I didn't notice that. Anyway I hope it is clear sky for me to see this great comet. I have no telescope, but a set of nice binoculars.

[ka4koe]

Great photo. What are the particulars, ie ASA, duration of exposure, tracking?

Philip

[KF1Z]

8" f6 newt,  sitting on a Celestron CGem DX. ( about 135 pounds total with cam and accessories)
canon 60da , mixed set of stacked exposures.
I think the total exposure time was around 240 sec.
ISO mixed from 400 to 1600.

[W1RKW]

http://www.solarsystemscope.com/ison/

A nice interactive display of ISONs path.  It includes an earth view for finding it.

[AJ1G]

Anyone know if it is likely to show up in a sunrise photo shoot (without a scope) in Stonington, CT in the next few days?

Would make a nice backdrop for the AJ1G Mobile Tacoma 4X4 down at Stonington Point.

[KF1Z]

It will be GONE in a few days!
At least, you won't see it anymore by the 26th-27th

the 28th it will be at it's closest to the sun.

I would try over the next couple days, before the rising sun is too bright!

[W3NE]

8" f6 newt,  sitting on a Celestron CGem DX. ( about 135 pounds total with cam and accessories)
canon 60da , mixed set of stacked exposures.
I think the total exposure time was around 240 sec.
ISO mixed from 400 to 1600.

Impressive picture! Do you have to individually register stacked exposures, or are they all made in such a short time or with readjustment to a guide star that positional variations are insignificant?

[AJ1G]

That was my plan, perhaps early on Friday morning, likely to be raining Sat morning....maybe I'll work some of the DXepeditions that are gearing up for the CW DX contest this weekend on 40 CW with the little Elecraft K1 QRP mobile setup from down on the point.  Bagged a few tonight on 40 while driving Diane on an early Christmas shopping excursion.

[KF1Z]

8" f6 newt,  sitting on a Celestron CGem DX. ( about 135 pounds total with cam and accessories)
canon 60da , mixed set of stacked exposures.
I think the total exposure time was around 240 sec.
ISO mixed from 400 to 1600.

Impressive picture! Do you have to individually register stacked exposures, or are they all made in such a short time or with readjustment to a guide star that positional variations are insignificant?

I don't use a guide scope. ( I have a guide scope and separate camera etc.. but dont use them much)

I can get 2 to 3 minute exposures with the gem mount's RA tracking alone. And that short exposure time will only show any variations in the far edges of the frame over a long period.

The scope focus, mount,  and camera are all remotely controlled.( through 60+ feet of USB cable)... so I can sit inside in the warmth of the shack 

That's mostly through Starry Night Pro plus 6 planetarium software.


Then I use some other expensive software ( Images plus) to grade, align, subtract dark frames, add and/or subtract bias and flat frames, combine frames etc....
Then the same software can be used for all kinds of stretch functions

[AJ1G]

No chance this morning...overcast here...

[W3NE]

I can get 2 to 3 minute exposures with the gem mount's RA tracking alone. And that short exposure time will only show any variations in the far edges of the frame over a long period.

The scope focus, mount,  and camera are all remotely controlled.( through 60+ feet of USB cable)... so I can sit inside in the warmth of the shack 

That's mostly through Starry Night Pro plus 6 planetarium software.

Then I use some other expensive software ( Images plus) to grade, align, subtract dark frames, add and/or subtract bias and flat frames, combine frames etc....
Then the same software can be used for all kinds of stretch functions

Amazing results! Amateurs are doing better work in astrophotography today than professionals at big observatories were sixty years ago when I was moderately involved with astronomy. Congratulations!

[KF1Z]

Amazing results! Amateurs are doing better work in astrophotography today than professionals at big observatories were sixty years ago when I was moderately involved with astronomy. Congratulations!

Computers and technology are the key.

Digital cameras are probably the most help.
I can see instantly if the exposures are any good,
not like waiting to have film processed etc. to make adjustments.

This hobby though can be much more expensive than radio!
If I purchased all this equipment NEW, instead of getting used, and doing a lot of
bartering and trading up.. well, I just wouldn't do it!
Just what I described above would have a new price tag of just over $5k.
Not including the beefy 'puter to do the image processing. ....and the 3 other scopes and accessories .
And camera lenses.

And most of this is not considered to be the best equipment...

I suppose it's like comparing a Kenwood TS-940 to one of those $10-12k Yaesu rigs, or something like that.

:-)

[KL7OF]

YOU GUYS GOT ME GOING WITH THAT LINK TO THE INTERACTIVE ISON SITE....I was up this morning about 3 hrs before sunrise and looked to the east every 30 minutes with binoculars....Even got in the truck and drove up the road a few miles to a spot with a better view of the east..Clear sky and cold here..High pressure. perfect sky condx....I live 25 miles from the city so it is dark and quiet here...Ison must have been below the local horizon when it was dark enough to see it ..I couldn't see it...I will try again tomorrow if I wake up but according to the model, Ison might be out of viewing range for me here in the Pacific NW...If it makes the trip around the sun, We might be able to catch it around Christmas time on its way by Earth ...

[K1JJ]

Hi Bruce,

You've touched upon one of my addictions....

Interesting that this is Ison's first trip around the sun.  It must have encountered another large piece of ice out there a million years ago that gave it a tug.

I wonder why gravity doesn't just pull it directly into the sun rather than doing an eliptical path?

Pretty decent shot, BTW.  

I have a homebrew 22" reflector here with computer servo goto / tracking control and ECU planetarium.   Just rebuilt the mount.... big job, but worth it.  The whole structure and observatory weighs in at about 4,000 pounds.  Uses a 24" optical flat - that beams starlight into a 22" F 8.5 parabola that sits upside down mounted on an 18' tower looking down - which sends the light thru a 6" hole in the flat to an eyepiece in the observatory.  Kinda like a Heliostat.  I can observe in comfort away from the cold and bugs...

Still need to refine the tracking before doing any CCD work. Right now working on PXP software. This lets me sync to 30 stars across the sky and it maps out the mount's errors. Once working, the GoTo pointing can be less than an arc minute or so. Right now it's maybe 5 arc mins at best.

Mostly a visual observer here and enjoy the thrill of REAL galaxy photons coming in after millions of years and exciting my retina. Galaxies, globular clusters and planetary nebula are my favorites.  The planets and moon are still fun. A few years ago I actually found the three moon craters named after Aldrin, Collins and Armstrong. They are about 1-3 miles in diameter and not easy to see. They are not far from the Apollo 11 site.

Another highlight was finding Pluto. It is VERY faint, maybe 13-14th mag IIRC. So cool to see this distant, cold, frozen whirl.

Distant Neptune and Uranus resolve down to discs and have that green and blue look.

Hope to see Ison come around when it returns. Too low on my scope horizon to see now.

T

[W1RKW]

T,
Gravity probably would pull it into the sun if the trajectory was just right.  The comet was moving at about 95,000 mph as of 11/10 and is expected to slingshot around the sun at at nearly 500,000mph. The physics involved such as its mass will keep it from plunging much like man made missions around the moon and other celestial objects.  It's lucky that its on the trajectory that is or it would be swallowed up.  

I have seen Neptune and Uranus with my 8" Schmidt.  Just mere blue dots against the black sky.  

Not to invite myself but I would like to someday (night) take a gander through your scope and look at some deep sky stuff whenever you're up to it. Sounds like you have one heck of a scope.

What do you use or have for eyepieces?
B

[K1JJ]

What do you use or have for eyepieces?
B

Hi Bob,

Cool on your 8" Schmidt. You can see a lot with that in a dark location. At least yours is portable. How accurate is the GOTO pointing across the whole sky?

I use an array of Televue 2" diameter eyepieces.  From 55mm to 15mm.  Since I'm using a slow F8.5 mirror, I spend a lot of time using the 55mm or the 35mm for the widest field.

Been working out in the cold for almost 2 weeks now trying to get it finished up before the snow. I'll let ya know when I get all the mount hardware and software working correctly.  It's an absolute bear to make accurate due to its size, weight and need for stability on an 18' tower.   The tower is about 8' square and is set in concrete piers, but still, when a strong wind comes thru, I see some vibration from the top 22" parabola. Otherwise pretty smooth.

BTW, nice refractor, Rick. I'll bet you kick ass with the planets. The eyepiece turret is slick...

T

[W1RKW]

Hi Tom,
Televue, nice eye pieces! I have a few myself.  My largest is a 35mm.  It's like looking through a port hole.

No GoTo on my Schmidt. I have an oldie but once polar aligned properly the setting circles are pretty accurate.

[ka7niq]

this is cool. youtube is full of people making videos of doom and screaming 'run for the hills' and worse. Some videos say the moon is rotated. I didn't notice that. Anyway I hope it is clear sky for me to see this great comet. I have no telescope, but a set of nice binoculars.

Yep, and the 2 giant Oarfish that were found beached and dead recently, has the doom and gloom crowd going nuts!

There may be something to the beached, dead, giant Oarfish.