Astroblog

Monday, March 02, 2015

Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy Occasional Views January to February


Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy imaged on 17 January 2015. MEDIAN stack of 3x180 second luminance images BIN2, taken with iTelescope T14. North is left, East is bottom. Image inverted for easier tail viewing. Click to embiggen.	Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy imaged on 18 January 2015. MEDIAN stack of 5x180 second luminance images BIN2, taken with iTelescope T14.

Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy imaged on 23 January 2015. MEDIAN stack of 5x180 second luminance images BIN2, taken with iTelescope T14.	Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy imaged on 12 February 2015. MEDIAN stack of 3x180 second luminance images BIN2, taken with iTelescope T14.

I have been a bit distracted over the past month or so with EldestOne going off to Melbourne for University, getting the new years Southern Skywatch set-up, getting ready for semester start and organising a satellite neuroscience meeting for later this year. So I haven't been posting my comet Lovejoy images.

Not that I have many, I have been having terrible bad luck with the weather. Anyway this is my compilation of images I have taken since mid-January with iTelescope T14. While the comet is fading, the tail is still magnificent, showing enormous variation.

You can see my previous C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy images here.

Labels: C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy, comet, iTelescope

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 11:36 pm 0 comments

Monday, January 19, 2015

Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy's Tail meets the Pleiades (19 January 2015)

Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy on the 19th of January as seen from Adelaide at Astronomical twilight (an hour and a half after sunset). It is not far from the Pleiades, and people with serious astrophotography kit may capture the tail as it passes over the Pleiades (click to embiggen).

Over the past few days comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy has been edging closer to the beautiful star cluster the Pleiades. They were closest last night, on the 18th, but tonight they will still be close, a bit too far to get in one binocular field, but very nice both in the sky and binoculars.

My slightly rubbish image of the comet and the Pleiades from last night. If you click and embiggen the image, you might just possibly see the hint of a tail. or not.

However, if you have some serious camera kit, you might just be able to get the comets tail crossing the Pleiades. Here's Chris Wyatt's image of the 17th. With a good DSLR you should be able to pick it up too. The tail has been an absolute delight in astrophotographs, barely visible to the eye in telescopes though.

So, go out tonight and have a look. People in Southern Australia have a fairly narrow window before the comet is too low to the horizon (from about 10:00 pm to 11:30 pm), but northern Australians have a better view.

Labels: astrophotography, C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy, Chris Wyatt, comet

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 9:49 pm 0 comments

Friday, January 16, 2015

Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy Observations (15 January 2015)


Comet Lovejoy imaged with my Canon IXUS. A stack of 10x15 second images at ISO 800. The comet is indicated by the yellow lines (click to embiggen)	Comet Lovejoy imaged with my Canon IXUS. A stack of 10x15 second images at ISO 800 and 3x zoom. The comet is pretty obvious in this one (click to embiggen).

Tonight's sketches, click to embiggen.

After days of cloud and rain I finally got to see Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy again. This time the comet was really obvious to the unaided eye. I had to use averted vision to start with, but even then it was a lot easier to pick up than on the 11th (see images from the 11th here).

It might have been better sky conditions, or a less crowded patch of sky that made it easier to see. But my magnitude estimate using the 10x50 binoculars was dimmer than for the 11th (4.5, using 4 Tau M5, 5 Tau M4.1 Lambda Cet 4.7 and mu Cet 4.3 as comparison stars).

In binoculars the comet was round and fuzzy, no hint of tail structure. In the telescope (114mm Newtonian with 25mm Plossl eyepiece) the coma was clearly asymmetrical, but no clear tail. There was a well defined central condensation. Size still looked the same as last time. Yet again I neglected to measure the coma size.

This time I was unable to image the comet with the telescope, by the time I could set up the camera the comet was too low in the sky and the camera unbalanced the scope.

Finally to round off the night, this image from the iTelescopes all sky camera at the Siding Spring Observatory, shows comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy near Taurus.

Click to embiggen. The comet is indicated by the yellow lines.

Labels: binoculars, C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy, comet, iTelescope, telescope, unaided eye

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 12:25 am 0 comments

Monday, January 12, 2015

Seeing Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy, 13-20 January 2015


Printable black and white horizon chart facing north an hour and a half after sunset showing the location of comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy as seen from Adelaide. Similar views will be seen from Southern Hemisphere locations at the equivalent local time. Click to embiggen and print	Photorealistic version showing the path of the comet an hour and a half after sunset. The comet is shown on the 13th, 16th, 18th and 20th. Simulated in Stellarium. Click to embiggen

With the waning Moon rising in the early morning this is an excellent time to view comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy has a chance to shine again. Comet Lovejoy has been easy to see in binoculars and even visible to the unaided eye in mildly light polluted suburban locations.

While the comet has passed maximum brightness it will only slowly fade and will be good to view for the next week. It is seen as a dimmish fuzzy star with the unaided eye. In binoculars it looks like a large ball of cotton wool and in even small telescopes a thin faint tail can be seen under dark skies. As it heads toward its closest approach to the sun it may develop a dust tail which will be more easily seen in telescopes.

For the next 7-8 days the obvious constellation of Taurus are your guide to finding the comet. The comet is currently around magnitude 3.8 - 4.2 (a bit dimmer than the 5th star of the Southern Cross) and may stay as bright as 4.5 until the end of the week.


Printable black and white binocular chart an hour and a half after sunset showing the location of comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy. The circle is approximately the field of view of 10x50 binoculars. Click to embiggen	Comet Lovejoy on 11 January 2015. The comet is near Taurus (indicated with yellow lines). This is a stack of 10x15 second images taken with my Canon IXUS, ASA 400. Click to embiggen.

If you go out an hour and a half after sunset when the sky is dark (a little after 10:15 pm daylight saving time in most of Australia), and look north-east you will see the distinctive shape of the "saucepan" almost dead ahead of you.

Below and to the left (almost due north) is Taurus the Bull. For the first few days the comet is nestled between the legs of Taurus the Bull. Start your sweep at the red star Aldebaran, at the bottom of the obvious inverted "V" that is the head of Taurus. Sweep slightly up and to the left, a bit over a hand-span and you will see a U shaped group of faintish stars. The "U" shape is where the comet will be (either inside or just below it).

From the 16th to the 20th the Peliades will be your guide. This small obvious cluster of stars is below and to the left of the inverted V that is the head of Taurus (see charts above for a guide).

Sweep left by about a hand-span from the Pleiades.

The comets visible appearance in binoculars and a small telescope. Click to embiggen.

There are no bright globular clusters in this area so the comet is distinctive as a fuzzy star to the unaided eye, and an obvious large fuzzy ball in binoculars or telescopes. You may need to locate it in binoculars before you are confident of a visual sighting. If you watch on consecutive days you can see the comet move.

Once again, the printable charts above can help you with your quest. For telescope users, the image will be upside down compared to the charts. Remember, when looking for the comet allow at least 5 minutes or more (10 is better) for your eyes to adjust and become dark adapted.

Here's some hints on dark adaption of your eyes. If using the charts above, cover your torch with red cellophane so as to not destroy your night vision.

And be patient, you may not catch it at first, but spend a little time looking and it may pop out at you.

Labels: binocular, C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy, comet, telescope, unaided eye

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 11:58 pm 2 comments

Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy from the SSO, 12 January 2015

The weather has stopped the iTelescopes at the Siding Spring Observatory from being rolled out, but this image from the all sky camera, before the cloud moved in, shows comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy near Taurus.

Click to embiggen. The comet is indicated by the yellow lines.

Labels: C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy, comet, iTelescope

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 11:02 pm 1 comments

A Night of Comet Goodness! (11 January 2015)


Latest C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy from iTelescope T14 10 July 01:20 UT. 5x180 second luminance frames, median stack, east top north right. Click to embiggen.	In contrast this is a stack of 5x1 second images (ISO 1600) of the comet taken with my Canon IXUS through my 114 mm Newtonian with 25 mm Plossl infinity to infinity focussing. Not flash, but I did it! Bright star is 31 Tau.

An epic night of comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy observation has come to a close. After days of pouring rain and cloud, it all suddenly cleared this afternoon and I finally got to see the comet with my unaided eye. It was tricky at first and I needed, but once I had become familiar with the area it was pretty easy to see. Distinguishing it from 31 Tau was tricky, but Fuzziness was the key.


Comet Lovejoy imaged with my Canon IXUS. A stack of 10x15 second images at ISO 400. The comet is indicated by the yellow lines (click to embiggen)	Comet Lovejoy imaged with my Canon IXUS. A stack of 10x15 second images at ISO 400 and 3x zoom. The comet is pretty obvious in this one (click to embiggen).

This heralded a frenzy of binocular sketching, telescope sketching, and photography. I was pleased with my sketches, my sketched star positions agree pretty well with the charts when I checked them later.

Tonight's sketches, click to embiggen.

In binoculars the comet was round and fuzzy, no hint of tail structure. In the thelescope (114mm Netwonian with 25mm Plossl eyepiece) the coma was clearly asymmetrical, but no clear tail. There was a well defined central condensation.

With the binoculars I tried to estimate the magnitude of the comet using the defocusing method, but with poor comparison stars the best estimate I have is 4.3-5.0

Finally I managed to image the comet through my telescope (the small Newtonian without time drive). It is a pretty ordinary image, but I am chuuffed that I achieved it (only because it was close to a bright guide star).

So all in all an epic night. I doubt the weather will hold out, but if I can do more of these observations I will.

Labels: binoculars, C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy, comet, iTelescope, telescope, unaided eye

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 2:10 am 0 comments

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Don't Forget: Conjunction of Venus and Mercury and Closest Approach of Comet Lovejoy Tonight January 11, 2015

Evening sky on Sunday January 11 looking west as seen from Adelaide at 21:00 (9:00 pm) ACDST in South Australia. Click to embiggen.

Tonight has two lovely astronomical events, the conjunction of Venus and Mercury and the maximum brightness of comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy.

Venus and Mercury in the western evening twilight, where the pair a bit over a hand-span from the western horizon half an hour after sunset, and are less than a finger-width apart.

Venus should be readily visible as a bright dot, and Mercury is a dimmer dot just below it.

Evening sky on Sunday January 11 looking north as seen from Adelaide at 22:00 (10:00 pm) ACDST in South Australia. Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy is to the left of Betelgeuse and above Aldebaran. Similar views will be seen elsewhere at the equivalent local time (click to embiggen).

The comet is located near the iconic constellations of Orion and Taurus. It is easily visible in binoculars and people in suburban sites have been able to see it with the unaided eye. Binoculars or small telescopes show it as a definite fuzzy disk about a quarter of the size of the Moon. In modest sized telescopes the faint thin tail can be seen.

Instructions on viewing the comet and printable finding charts can be found here.

Labels: C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy, comet, Mercury, unaided eye, Venus

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 8:36 pm 0 comments

Friday, January 09, 2015

Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy's Dramatic Tail


Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy on 8 January 2015, at 13:30 UT (24:00 AEDST) taken from SSO using iTelescope T12, Median stack of 5x180 sec Luminance exposures, north is top.	Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy on 3 January 2015, at 11:30 UT (22:00 AEDST) taken from SSO using iTelescope T12, Median stack of 5x180 sec Luminance exposures, north is top. Badly Moon affected

Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy is really putting on a fantastic show at the moment for those of us with access to decent imaging telescopes. In particular, not only does its tail have lots of structure, but it is changing rapidly. The two pictures above (Images are 5x180 second luminance images Bin 2 taken with iTelescope T12. click to embiggen for taily goodness) show the comet on the 3rd and the 8th, 5 days apart. You can see a significant change in the structure of the tail (see also my previous triptych of tail images, showing interesting tail structure and this one on the tails evolution) .

But the tail is MUCH more dynamic than that, it can change on an hour to hour basis. The image I took on the 8th was actually in the middle of a tail disconnection event. You can see an image from Nick Howes of just as the disconnection event starts (at 11:13 UT before my image) and from Tony ~~Angle~~ Angel (he is pretty acute though) when it is well underway. Here is another one from later on, 02:17 hr UT on the 8th from Joseph Brimacomb.The blob that Nick first sees, then is moving up in my image, disconnects from the main tail and moves away.

UPDATE: Here is a 7 hour sequence Tony Angel did of the disconnection. Awesome!

And now, for your enjoyment, the video Nick Howes made of this event.

This is one amazing comet! I now rate it my finest telescopic comet (as opposed to C/2006 P1 McNaught which was my finest unaided eye comet, and C/2011 W3 Lovejoy which was my finest spacecraft comet) Thank you Terry Lovejoy for finding it for us.

If only the rain can cloud would go away now.

Labels: C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy, comet, iTelescope

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 11:55 pm 0 comments

I'm on the Radio this Saturday January 10, 2015 (and on TV later)

On the morning of Saturday 10 January I'll be on ABC local radio (Adelaide 891 AM) with Leigh Radford, going live after 6:55 am ACDST (7:25 AEDST, 6:25 AEST). I'll be talking about comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy and the conjunction of Venus and Mercury, so listen if you can (they doing streaming, so even if you are not in Adelaide you can catch this on your computer).

Possibly on Monday, or maybe later in the week, there will be a story on organic food on Today Tonight that will feature and interview with moi. Not sure how much of the interview will make it into the final program.

Labels: C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy, comet, public outreach, Radio

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 12:12 am 0 comments

Wednesday, January 07, 2015

Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy is closest to Earth Tonight (7 January 2015)

Evening sky on Wednesday January 7 looking north as seen from Adelaide at 22:00 (10:00 pm) ACDST in South Australia. Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy is to the left of Rigel. Similar views will be seen elsewhere at the equivalent local time (click to embiggen).

Tonight (7 January 2015), comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy is closest to Earth. It will not be at it's brightest until; the 11th, but with the waning Moon rsing later, it is a good time to observe this comet.

Of course, I am clouded out.

Labels: binoculars, C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy, comet, telescope, unaided eye

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 6:10 pm 0 comments

Tuesday, January 06, 2015

Seeing Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy, 5-13 January


Printable black and white horizon chart facing north an hour and a half after sunset showing the location of comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy as seen from Adelaide. Similar views will be seen from Southern Hemisphere locations at the equivalent local time. Click to embiggen and print	Animation showing the path of the comet an hour and a half after sunset. simulated in Stellarium. Click to embiggen

Over the next few days the Moon leaves the evening sky, and once again comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy has a chance to shine again. Even with full Moon, comet Lovejoy has been easy to see in binoculars.

With the Moon waning and rising later the comet, which is brightening as it heads towards maximum brightness on this Sunday January 11, should now be easily seen as a dimmish fuzzy star with the unaided eye. In binoculars it looks like a large ball of cotton wool and in even small telescopes a thin faint tail can be seen.

For the next 7-8 days the obvious constellations of Orion and Taurus are your guide to finding the comet. The comet is currently around magnitude 4.8, and may get as bright as 4.5 or hopefully even brighter.


Printable black and white binocular chart an hour and a half after sunset showing the location of comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy. The circle is approximately the field of view of 10x50 binoculars. Click to embiggen	Comet Lovejoy on 29 December 2014, before the rising Moon made it too hard to see. The comet is above Orion and Canis Major. This is a stack of 10x15 second images taken with my Canon IXUS, ASA 400. Click to embiggen.

If you go out when the sky is dark (a little after 10:20 pm daylight saving time in most of Australia), and look north-east you will see the distinctive shape of the "saucepan" almost dead ahead of you.

Just above this is a bright-blue white star, Rigel.

For the next few days if you sweep your eyes (or binoculars) north you will follow a trail of brightish stars, these form the celestial river Eridanus. After you have passed the fifth star and before the sixth is the space where the comet will pass. There are no bright globular clusters in this area so the comet is distinctive as a fuzzy star to the unaided eye, and a large fuzzy ball in binoculars or telescopes. You may need to locate it in binoculars before you are confident of a visual sighting. If you watch on consecutive days you can see the comet move.

From around the 8th start your sweep at the saucepan it self, then from the 10th the comet is nestled between the legs of Taurus the Bull. Start your sweep at blue-white Bellatrix, the bright star below and to the north of the saucepan (not the bright red Betelgeuse below and to the south), towards the like of stars that marks Orion's shield and then on further to a U shaped group of faintish stars, just above the obvious inverted "V" that is the head of Taurus. The "U" shape is where the comet will be at its brightest.

Once again, the printable charts above can help you with your quest. For telescope users, the image will be upside down compared to the charts. Remember, when looking for the comet allow at least 5 minutes for your eyes to adjust and become dark adapted. Here's some hints on dark adaption of your eyes. If using the charts above, cover your torch with red cellophane so as to not destroy your night vision.

Good comet hunting!

Labels: binoculars, C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy, comet, telescope, unaided eye

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 12:21 am 3 comments

Thursday, December 25, 2014

Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy, 20th and 23rd of December

Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy taken on 23-12-14 with my Canon IXUS point and shoot. 10x 15 second exposures ISO 400 stacked with deep sky stacker. and cropped to the region of interest, showing Phract (alpha Columba) and the comet (Click to embiggen)

Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy continues to delight observers, with a partial tail disconnection event and some impressive tail twisting.

In binoculars it is an easy catch, and in my Canon point and shoot images it has significantly brightened. I made it out to be magnitude 5.8, other estimates have been around 5.6-5.7. Well into the unaided eye range under dark skies.


18-12-14. 5x180 second luminance images stacked in ImageJ on the comet and a MEDIAN Z project taken then inverted	19-12-14. 5x180 second luminance images stacked in ImageJ on the comet and a MEDIAN Z project taken then inverted	20-12-14. 5x180 second luminance images stacked in ImageJ on the comet and a MEDIAN Z project taken then inverted

I have extended my comparison of the comets tail out to three days, the images are 5x180 second luminance images Bin 2 taken with iTelescope T12 stacked in ImageJ on the comet and a MEDIAN Z project taken then inverted. North is to the top.

Resolution is 3.5 arc-secs/pixel

Labels: C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy, comet, iTelescope

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 12:10 am 1 comments

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

How to see Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy on Christmas


Horizon chart facing east at 22:00 ACDST showing the location of comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy as seen from Adelaide. Similar views will be seen from Southern Hemisphere locations at the equivalent local time. Click to embiggen	Close up chart facing east at 22:00 ACDST showing the location of comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy to aid star hopping with binoculars or telescope. Click to embiggen	Binocular chart at 22:00 ACDST showing the location of comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy. The field of view is approximately the field of view of 10x50 binoculars. Click to embiggen

Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy is providing an amazing spectacle for telescopic viewers. Its ion tail is thin and dim, but photographic images have revealed a wealth of detail. In binoculars it is easily visible, even under suburban skies, as a distinct circular fuzzy patch, looking like a large globular cluster.

Now at magnitude 5.6-5.8, many people with dark skies have reported seeing it with the unaided eye. It is not visible to the unaided eye from my suburban location, but many of you are about to head off camping or caravaning or down to beach shacks for Christmas, where the skies will be dark.

Why not give looking for Lovejoy a go? It will not be as spectacular as comet C/2011 W3 Lovejoy (also a Terry Lovejoy Christmas comet), you do not have to get up at 4 am to see it.


Printable black and white horizon chart facing east at 22:00 ACDST showing the location of comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy as seen from Adelaide. Similar views will be seen from Southern Hemisphere locations at the equivalent local time. Click to embiggen and print	Printable black and white close up chart facing east at 22:00 ACDST showing the location of comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy to aid star hopping with binoculars or telescope. Click to embiggen and print	Printable black and white binocular chart at 22:00 ACDST showing the location of comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy. The circle is approximately the field of view of 10x50 binoculars. Click to embiggen

If you go out when the sky is dark (a little after 10 pm daylight saving time in most of Australia), and look east you will see the bright star Sirius almost dead ahead of you. This blue white star is the brightest in the sky, and is unmistakeable, off to the left (north) is the distinctive "saucepan" that forms the Belt of Orion the Hunter. Above the Saucepan is a bright blue-white star, Rigel. To the right (south) of Sirus and Rigel is the next brightest star in the sky, yellow Canopus.

These stars will be your guide to the comet. If you look up upwards from Sirius, your sight will intersect an imaginary line between Rigel and Canopus. Looking a bit south of this intersection there is a pair of dimmer, but still easy to see, stars. Phract and Wazn are the brightest stars in the constellation of the Dove.

Comet Lovejoy forms the apex of a triangle pointing towards Sirius with these stars as the triangles base.

To the unaided eye the comet will look like a dim fuzzy dot. In binoculars it is decent sized fuzzy ball, about a quarter the size of the Moon, and a telescope a very obvious fuzzy ball, perhaps with a hint of a tail. You may need to find it in binoculars first before it is apparent to the unaided eye. There is no comparable cluster or nebula in the region to confuse it with.

The printable charts above can help you with your quest. For telescope users, the image will be upside down compared to the charts. Remember, when looking for the comet allow at least 5 minutes for your eyes to adjust and become dark adapted. Here's some hints on dark adaption of your eyes. If using the charts above, cover your torch with red cellophane so as to not destroy your night vision.

As well, Mars will be low on the horizon with the crescent Moon next to it, so Christmas night is the prefect time for a comet hunt! Have a merry one!

Labels: binoculars, C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy, comet, unaided eye

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 10:23 am 0 comments

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Evolution of a comets tail: Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy from 14-19 November 2014


C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy 14-12-14	15-12-14

16-12-14	17-12-14

18-12-14	19-12-14

Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy is brightening nicely in the sky, and its tail is doing some interesting things. This is a sequence from 14 December to 19 December, all at roughly 3:00am on their respective days (except the 16th, that was closer to 11:30 pm). The images from the 14th and 15th are strongly light affected.

You can see significant changes in the spae of the tail and the secondary spikes. Click to embiggen to see more detail.

Images are 3x180 second luminance images Bin 2 taken with iTelescope T12. They were stacked in Deep Sky Stacker the cropped, inverted and intensity adjusted in ImageJ. North is to the top and east to the left in these images, which have been inverted to bring the tail out. Image intensity is not constant as I was aiming to bring out the tail detail, rather than insuring magnitudes were consistent from image to image.


18-12-14. 5x180 second luminance images stacked in ImageJ on the comet and a MEDIAN Z project taken then inverted	19-12-14. 5x180 second luminance images stacked in ImageJ on the comet and a MEDIAN Z project taken then inverted

For comparison, the images are 5x180 second luminance images stacked in ImageJ on the comet and a MEDIAN Z project taken then inverted. This gives a lot more tail detail than the DSS stack, even given that the intensity has been turned way up in the bottom two images.

Resolution is 3.5 arc-secs/pixel

Labels: C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy, comet, iTelescope

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 11:46 pm 2 comments

Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy, 19 December 2014


Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy taken on 19-12-14 with my Canon IXUS point and shoot. 10x 15 second exposures ISO 400 stacked with deep sky stacker. and cropped to the region of interest, showing Pi (bottom) and Nu (top) Pupis and the comet (Click to embiggen)	Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy taken on 14-12-14 with my Canon IXUS point and shoot. 10x 15 second exposures ISO 400 stacked with deep sky stacker. and cropped to the region of interest, showing Nu (top right) Pupis and the comet (Click to embiggen)

Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy continues to delight. I missed it for a few day due to Nerd Night and clouds, but tonight the skies were clear and it was an easy catch in 10x50 binoculars from my suburban site.

This time I tried estimating the magnitude by the defocussing method. From the refernece stars I estimate it is between magnitude 6.3 and 5.9. Still brighter than the predicted 6.4, but well on the way to around magnitude 5 (unaided eye visible) by Christmas.

Reference stars were HIP 30418, HIP 30706, HIP 31099, HIP 31457 and HIP 31072.

Meanwhile the remote telescope images just get better and better with fantastic detail in the tail.


Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy taken on 19 December 2014 at 2:45 am AEDST. iTelescope T12, 3x3minute exposures Bin 2, stacked in ImageJ and Median image extracted. Click to embiggen to see the tail.	Same image inverted to bring out the tail details. In both images north is to the bottom and east left, and covers 5 degress of sky. Click to embiggen.