Comet Pan-STARRS on April 20, 2013. StarFreeze – 70×60 sec @ ISO 1600, Televue TV-85 at F/5.6, IDAS-LPS, Modified Canon T3.Comet Pan-STARRS on April 20, 2013. StarStreak version – 70×60 sec @ ISO 1600, Televue TV-85 at F/5.6, IDAS-LPS, Modified Canon T3.
August 20th was probably the last time I was able to shoot Comet Panstarrs before it fades below 7th magnitude. I took all my gear to a spot where the comet was not blocked by trees, like at home. Unfortunately, the LP was bad and transparency was not up to par for this night. I had to shoot with only 1 minute sub-images to get around that. I was also shooting right into a huge light dome from Lafayette, LA to my northeast. I thought I would have had better conditions, but unfortunately they were marginal, at best.
Comet Panstarrs, Apr 12, 2013. 20×15 sec @ ISO 1600, 8×15 @ ISO 3200, 200mm, F/2.8
I woke up at 3:45 AM to go out and image Comet Panstarrs on Friday, April 12, 2013. I should have got up at 3:00 AM instead. I didn’t think I would have problems in the field and I cut it way too close to the start of twilight.
What held me up is my mount wasn’t tracking at all at first and I had to haggle with it quite a bit before I could shoot some images. By that time, it was already 5:30 AM and the start of astronomical twilight was upon me. Not quite sure what went wrong.
I shot this with my Canon 200mm telephoto at F/2.8. Its only about 7 minutes worth of integration. I was hoping for 3 times that amount. Oh, well…
Comet Pan-STARRS Early Morning, April 1 to April 6, 2013.
As of this writing, this is what we have in store for Comet Pan-STARRS down here in southern Louisiana. Its evening viewing period is almost totally dominated by twilight, so the morning part of the comet’s apparition is what I’ll be concentrating on, now.
On April 1st it will be low at the start of strong twilight about 80 minutes before sunrise. This point is about the limit for shooting images because of the encroaching twilight, so any images need to be shot before then. It will be only 4 degrees or so above the horizon, so it will be very difficult if the sky conditions are not right. Conditions improve somewhat by April 6, 2013, so I think I stand a better chance then. At 5:30 am, the beginning of astronomical twilight, the comet will be over 7 degrees high, which improves my chances considerably for getting usable images. If I start shooting then, I have about 10 minutes to shoot before strong twilight gets me. lol 😀 Continue reading Comet Pan-STARRS April 1 to April 6, 2013→
This is one of my scopes that I use from time to time. Its a relatively fast 800mm, F/4 optical arrangement. When tuned it produces great images. Trouble is, its hard to tune. But, not impossible. In addition to the scope, there’s a 500mm, F/5 achromatic telescope mounted on top and is used for guiding.
The laptop is used to control the telescope mount, control the cameras and do the guiding.
Ok, I managed to get a shot of Comet Panstarrs despite the moon and lingering twilight. At least you see the comet. Somewhat. lol
It was a little difficult to shoot images and entertain visitors simultaneously. Its a long story, but suffice it to say that by the time I was finally shooting images, the comet was already deep in the muck. In fact, it was there by the time it got dark enough to shoot long exposures.
