Astroblog: Comet 2009 P1 Garrad and M15, July 31

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Comet 2009 P1 Garrad and M15, July 31

Comet 2009 P1 Garrad imaged near the globular cluster M15 with the GRAS 14 instrument at Global Rent a Scope with 1 x 120 sec Red filter FITS image, 1 x 120 sec Green filter FITS image and 1 x 120 sec Blue filter FITS image. Images stacked and contrast enhanced using Image J then assembled into a RGB composite.

Definitely click to embiggen, it will be worth it.

Comet 2009 P1 Garrad is currently magnitude 8 and in the constellation Pegasus, ideally located for northern hemisphere viewers. It will pass lots of interesting clusters and galaxies as it goes by. On August 1 and 2 it will be quite lose to the globular cluster M15.

Labels: astrophotography, cluster, comet, Global Rent-a-Scope

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 6:37 pm

Comments:

The original (barycentric) orbit of 2009P1 was ~120,000 years and the future orbit will be ~600,000 years. The changing orbital period is a result of perturbations by the planets as the comet passes through the planetary region of the Solar System.

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