Comet Lovejoy

Second Attempt

Comet Lovejoy was well placed for observation on January 10th. It appeared conveniently high above the horizon among winter constellations in the early evening. Although this comet appears small in wide angle photos, its green color is striking among mostly blue-white stars. The sky was so clear on January 10th I couldn't resist trying to photograph the comet again. It was higher in the sky than it was on my previous attempt on December 30th, and light pollution was a bit lower. Here is the scene recorded by a 30-second unguided exposure. (Click on the images for larger views.)

Focus is slightly off in the images above. I should have been more patient checking precise focus, but freezing cold encouraged premature surrender.

Just for fun I tried getting an image with a 200mm telephoto lens. Star trailing due to Earth's rotation was a problem, of course. You can see the elongated star images in the following 10-second exposure. Focus is also not sharp. Nevertheless, the green fuzzy head of the comet is visible. The green color comes from diatomic carbon molecules excited by solar ultraviolet light.

These comet imaging experiences increased my desire for a sky tracking camera mount which will allow longer exposures without star trails. Longer exposures would reveal the comet's beautiful tail. The images above are really disappointing compared to images captured with tracking cameras.

This comet was spectacular in my 25X100 binoculars on January 16th! The coma filled a good portion of the field of view, and I could see part of the tail.