Comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) getting brighter

[gaa_ian (Ian)]

Originally Posted by dvj

Here's a nice little website on the comet.
http://theskylive.com/c2014q2-info

Thanks John, seems it is listed at Mag 7.5, but I have heard it is Mag 5 ? When I observed it I could see a faint greenness to it !

[JohnG (John)]

From last night (20/12/14)

Stack of 5 x 60 seconds.

Normal Luminance and stretched Invert.

Cheers

[algwat (Alan)]

Here is my small effort from last night, clouds scared me in doors I should have stayed out..... Could see the tail, but no real details...

For those interested in a canon CR2 raw image processing . There is a plugin for imageJ that will read the file, DCraw , a script can be made process the images.

looks like this,
// read EOS raw images

run("DCRaw Reader...", "open=C:\\Users\\alan\\Pictures\\EO S\\20141220\\2014_12_20_0524.CR2 use_temporary_directory white_balance=[Averaging the entire image] output_colorspace=raw read_as=[16-bit linear] interpolation=[Adaptive Homogeneity-Directed (AHD)] half_size show_metadata");
run("Z Project...", "projection=[Sum Slices]");
selectWindow("SUM_2014_12_20_0524.C R2");
selectWindow("2014_12_20_0524.CR2") ;
close();
selectWindow("SUM_2014_12_20_0524.C R2");

//

[algwat (Alan)]

Nice work again, Kevin and john. rgds, Alan

[cometcatcher (Kevin)]

Originally Posted by gaa_ian

Thanks John, seems it is listed at Mag 7.5, but I have heard it is Mag 5 ? When I observed it I could see a faint greenness to it !

That's cool that you saw some green! Latest visual obs put it at 5.6, 5.4, 5.9 on the COBS site, so in the fives somewhere. Many websites don't update the magnitude predictions and can be out by a wide margin. Best to check the latest reports by skilled visual observers.

[gaa_ian (Ian)]

Originally Posted by cometcatcher

That's cool that you saw some green! Latest visual obs put it at 5.6, 5.4, 5.9 on the COBS site, so in the fives somewhere. Many websites don't update the magnitude predictions and can be out by a wide margin. Best to check the latest reports by skilled visual observers.

Skilled visual observers like yourself Kevin
I may even go out to a dark site tonight to see If i can see it Naked Eye. I observed it at 26x Magnification with a 4" scope from a light polluted area and found it after a few minutes searching. I will give a telephoto shot a go with my 200mm lens tonight

[MLParkinson (Murray)]

Will do Alan, but it might take me a week. I've produced comet movies in the past, but it takes all day on the computer. I have a week off work soon.

[MLParkinson (Murray)]

I agree with every one: the structure in Comet Lovejoy’s jets and tails is evolving rapidly, and also brightening. The best is yet to come for this comet. Here are two more images built from 33 x 3 minute subs recorded early this morning, between 02:38 am to 04:37 am EST, 21 December 2014. Again, the first image is a simple average, and the second is an average with sigma clipping applied to suppress the stars and emphasise the faint diffuse multiple jets and tails. I will try to put together some short movies next week when I have some leave.

Higher resolution versions:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mlparkinson/15446157794/

[cometcatcher (Kevin)]

Awesome images Murray!

[cometcatcher (Kevin)]

The clouds only let me have 5 minutes tonight, hence the noise. Better than nothing I guess.

[algwat (Alan)]

more tail details with less time on the images??
Is it you or the comet...

I see a few more images with tail structures becoming resolved.
looking good for an interesting few weeks.

good work again. regards Alan

[cometcatcher (Kevin)]

It's the comet. The tail is becoming more active and brighter every night.

[kkara4 (Krishan)]

Originally Posted by cometcatcher

It's the comet. The tail is becoming more active and brighter every night.

Gah, really want to start imaging this! clouds every night for past two weeks in BNE.

Great images by all so far, and thanks Kevin for keeping us updated on a nightly basis! It is much appreciated by those of us clouded out

[killswitch (Edison)]

Noticed a bizzare sub, it has a passing satellite cutting through the comet.

http://cdn.astrobin.com/images/thumb..._watermark.jpg

[kinetic (Steve)]

Originally Posted by killswitch

Noticed a bizzare sub, it has a passing satellite cutting through the comet.

Every session so far in the last week I've had a rude intruder satellite pass
very close to the core of the comet too

Great pics so far everyone, fantastic imaging Kevin!

Steve

[JohnG (John)]

Originally Posted by killswitch

Noticed a bizzare sub, it has a passing satellite cutting through the comet.

http://cdn.astrobin.com/images/thumb..._watermark.jpg

Know a few people who got that satellite including myself, was the night of the 19/12.

Cheers

[h0ughy (David)]

fantastic work guys, John i love the intricate detail and scale - fantastic

[kkara4 (Krishan)]

Patiently waiting for the clouds to move on a bit, and the comet to increase in elevation a little.

I can confirm at the moment single exposure untracked f/3.5, ISO2000 2s exposure @ 300mm is very easy to get an approx 30' coma and bright core but no hint of tail (a bit of streaking due to exposure time, but was purely a brightness experiment).

This puts it right about the same mag as when I imaged Terry's last comet, approx 5.5.

Will give it a proper go on christmas eve, with camera mounted in place of the guidescope, and proper PA and that sort of thing. Hopefully clear skies for christmas eve!

[cometcatcher (Kevin)]

Good luck with the skies and comet kkara4.

The clouds are driving me crazy here. I can get 30 second subs, but not much more. Had to do a dual stack to get enough time on it since the clouds were not going to let me do a consecutive run. This is between about 8 and 9pm EST.

[kkara4 (Krishan)]

Originally Posted by cometcatcher

Good luck with the skies and comet kkara4.

The clouds are driving me crazy here. I can get 30 second subs, but not much more. Had to do a dual stack to get enough time on it since the clouds were not going to let me do a consecutive run. This is between about 8 and 9pm EST.

Cheers Kevin, even with clear skies im hitting the light pollution wall at its present elevation at 9pm . Cant stay up too late coz of work the next day...Christmas Eve is another matter though . Fingers crossed it is clear.