C/2013 A1 – Comet Siding Spring

Comet Siding Spring on October 17, 2014. 13×60 sec @ ISO 3200, TV-85 at F/5.6, Modified Canon T3.
Comet Siding Spring on October 17, 2014. 13×60 sec @ ISO 3200, TV-85 at F/5.6, Modified Canon T3.
Detail view of Comet Siding Spring.
Detail view of Comet Siding Spring.

Well, I finally managed to catch that small comet that is about to side-swipe Mars.   It was a last minute effort and I caught the comet late and a little too close to the horizon.  It was so low, that I had to throw out the last six sub-images because they were way too red.  At that point, the comet was only 2 degrees above the horizon.  That’s probably the lowest angle I ever tried to image something.

The actual close approach to Mars will occur on October 19th, 2014.  Hopefully, I’ll get a chance to shoot it again at that time.  It’s a little runt comet, but at least it is newsworthy.   lol  😀

For this image, I had to travel a few miles from home to find a western horizon free of obstructions, since from my backyard it is impossible to see.  I ended up staying there most of the night since the sky was so nice.

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