Thanks
Lets hope it clears for everyone for the great perihelion show.
I dont know if its me, but despite the sky now being brighter as the comet sinks into the west, it almost seems as if it has brightened in just the few hours I have been observing it.
Scott
I thought Id take the opportunity to show my rig pointing at the comet, showing how much offset from the Sun it is. Part of the primary has sunlight on it, but harmlessly reflected to the lower part of the tube. Note hankie stuffed in finder dew tube to stop crosshairs melting (I did that years ago on another scope when solar viewing)
The hardest part about viewing and imaging the comet in the daytime was the hot sun, was sweating away while looking and imaging, but I didnt care hehehe. It will be well over 30 degrees tomorrow but will still be at it
I also have both the (plastic) main drive and encoder gear wheels covered as they are susceptable to sun damage from UV light.
Scott
Don't try to observe so close to the sun with a SCT or refractor, you'll cook either the tube/ baffle or optics!!!!
It's dangerous enough with a Newt, but at least the return beam focusses in free air at the side of the secondary.
If yoy want to do such observing, make up a wide baffle plate which can be held with dowels etc well in front and slightly to the sun side of the telescope and double check NO sunlight is reflecting into the tube before going any further.
Guys, this is very dangerous stuff.....CAUTION
Hi all
Sky conditions not as good as yesterday, as it was brighter, more haze today, however the comets seeming increasing brightness made it look similar to yesterday.
Image taken lot long ago,just after local noon, cropped centre from bigger original but with lots of artifacts from sunglare reflecting around.
As before 15x1/4000th sec ISO 100, however this time I put on the uv/ir filter I normally use for astrophotography hoping it might cut down some uv glare.
Scott
Very hazy today with high cloud so unfortunately no chance of viewing the comet visually (I did try), still it showed up clearly with the 350D + 16cm reflector. Here is a rough processed 8 x 1/2000 second ISO100 image (mottled background is caused by passing cloud). Its certainly brightened a lot since I last imaged it on January 8, but its still fainter than Venus and I measured mag -3.0 from my images.
With the comet past the meridian and my tube on the other side of the german equatorial mount, there is less reflected light entering the focusser, so I took another set of 10 images as before, only this time I removed the uv/ir filter so its "full spectrum" near IR through visible light with the modded 350D
This is a full res. crop.
Ironically on the full image I was left with a negative comet at the top as when doing the flatfield (skyflat) I didnt quite move the comet out of frame.
Gee when I first got into astro imaging Id be happy to get a NIGHTTIME image of a comet this bright.
2nd image is a upsampled close up of the central condensation,
Scott
PS, Terry I note you were doing 2000th sec images, your skies must be darker, free of haze? 2000th sec @f5.6 were overexposed here.
First of all I love your last shots! You could just about pass them off as nighttime shots
My camera is unmodified, also I expose well to the 'right' (1.5 stops) when viewed in infraviewer they look white and overexposed. My scope is f3.3 but with a largish secondary.
The sky transparency was pretty poor today, about 50% brighter than on Sunday or Monday. It is very muggy here (and there are storms developing to the west).
Thanks
Yes Ive been exposing just slightly to the right on the camera histogram, which works out at 1/4000th sec at ISO 100
The transparency today was poorer today too, Id say about 50% brighter too, and by 5pm had got so bad I could no longer see the comet, mind you its now closer to the sun and as mentioned is now in the SOHO field of view.
Scott
This shot taken by Alan Dyer.Jan. 11th at 5.40pm Alberta Time.This pic was taken just east of Calgary Canada.He used a 200mm Lens.The temperature was -20 Degrees C.If it is like this in daylight it must be the comet of the Century. Tony
