Astrophotography

Great info Johnny. I will get my stuff set up to image it later in the month.

Aubrey On Nov 7, 2018 2:36 PM, Astrophotography <astrophotography@centexastronomy.org> wrote:
>
>
>
>
> Hey guys,
>
> I just wanted to make an announcement about a comet that's  beginning to live up to it's billing, and will most likely be part of the evening news in the coming weeks.
>
> Comet 46P/Wirtanen is a periodic comet that comes into the inner solar system about every 5.5 yrs.  It's normally not very impressive, but this time around will be very different.
> It's predicted to make it's closest approach to Earth since it's discovery in 1948 on Dec. 16th. Predictions of 2.5 to 3rd mag. are common, and it appears to be right on schedule.  I've been imaging this comet since early in Oct. and have witnessed a dramatic change in size and brightness.
>
> The attached photo was taken just after midnight on Nov. 6th.  It's a combination of 6-60sec. images taken using my 12.5 Newt. and the Canon T4i @ 6400 iso.
> The comet was coming out of a retrograde motion with the Earth this week, but will now start to accelerate as it heads north. It's not very impressive now at 8th mag, but it's much larger and brighter than my first image on Oct. 3rd when at 11th mag. (see other pic)
>
> In addition, this comet is considered to be a "Hyperbolic comet".  Meaning that it has a larger than normal water content.  They still don't know what to expect when it's at perihelion on Dec. 12 and close to Earth on the 15th.  That's because little is known about this comet due to the last apparition being very poor and past apparitions also not being very good.  This will be the 10th closest approach to Earth by a comet in modern times, and considered a great apparition for studying the different aspects of this comet.
> The University of Maryland has a site that posts daily updates on the mag.
>
> http://wirtanen.astro.umd.edu/46P/46P_status.shtml
>
> Also, they are asking for help from amateurs with observations.  There's a link on this site on how to submit observations.
>
> They really don't know how obvious the comet will appear in the sky to the casual observer at closest approach.  It's coma will most likely span several degrees, but at 2-3 mag., it may not be that obvious unless you're at a dark site.
>
> It's being billed as the comet of the year, and a bright Christmas Comet.  Let's hope they're right.
>
> Exciting stuff, stay tuned,  Johnny
>
> Attachment(s):
> File: 46P-Wirtanen-6X60s-11-06-18.jpg (525.8 KB) -- Address: http://s3.amazonaws.com/ClubExpressClubFiles/901132/attach/2175873_0_46P-Wirtanen-6X60s-11-06-18.jpg
> File: 46P-Wirtanen.jpg (670.8 KB) -- Address: http://s3.amazonaws.com/ClubExpressClubFiles/901132/attach/2175873_1_46P-Wirtanen.jpg
>
>
>
>

Hey guys,

I just wanted to make an announcement about a comet that's beginning to live up to it's billing, and will most likely be part of the evening news in the coming weeks.

Comet 46P/Wirtanen is a periodic comet that comes into the inner solar system about every 5.5 yrs. It's normally not very impressive, but this time around will be very different.
It's predicted to make it's closest approach to Earth since it's discovery in 1948 on Dec. 16th. Predictions of 2.5 to 3rd mag. are common, and it appears to be right on schedule. I've been imaging this comet since early in Oct. and have witnessed a dramatic change in size and brightness.

The attached photo was taken just after midnight on Nov. 6th. It's a combination of 6-60sec. images taken using my 12.5 Newt. and the Canon T4i @ 6400 iso.
The comet was coming out of a retrograde motion with the Earth this week, but will now start to accelerate as it heads north. It's not very impressive now at 8th mag, but it's much larger and brighter than my first image on Oct. 3rd when at 11th mag. (see other pic)

In addition, this comet is considered to be a "Hyperbolic comet". Meaning that it has a larger than normal water content. They still don't know what to expect when it's at perihelion on Dec. 12 and close to Earth on the 15th. That's because little is known about this comet due to the last apparition being very poor and past apparitions also not being very good. This will be the 10th closest approach to Earth by a comet in modern times, and considered a great apparition for studying the different aspects of this comet.
The University of Maryland has a site that posts daily updates on the mag.

http://wirtanen.astro.umd.edu/46P/46P_status.shtml

Also, they are asking for help from amateurs with observations. There's a link on this site on how to submit observations.

They really don't know how obvious the comet will appear in the sky to the casual observer at closest approach. It's coma will most likely span several degrees, but at 2-3 mag., it may not be that obvious unless you're at a dark site.

It's being billed as the comet of the year, and a bright Christmas Comet. Let's hope they're right.

Exciting stuff, stay tuned, Johnny