Here’s my latest image of Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas, taken Monday evening around 7:30 PM from the soccer fields on Highway 300, Little Rock. This comet is incredible, even under the waxing gibbous Moon and lingering twilight it stretched from the crook of my thumb to the end of my index finger at arm’s length. Go see it.
This image was made from 78 one second shots at ISO 3200, f/6.3 and 189mm focal length. Stacked and processed.
Here is my first image with my new ZWO ASI2600MC Pro camera, the Flaming Star Nebula (IC 405) in Auriga. I used my Samyang 135mm f/2 prime lens on my Celestron AVX mount. That ought to be enough name dropping to get me a corporate sponsor.
IC 405 is an Hydrogen Alpha emission nebula, glowing by its own heat.
It was really windy last night at the River Ridge Observatory but the AVX handled it well. This is 3 hours and 20 minutes of five minute subs stacked together. I had to wait until 2:30 for the Moon to go down so it was nearly 6 AM when it was done. Now to sell some stuff to help pay for it.
Here is my first picture of Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas taken last night at the River Ridge Observatory. My friend, John Reed, announced that the comet might be visible after sunset when he arrived for the monthly meeting of the Central Arkansas Astronomical Society. I thought it wouldn’t be for a few days. Anyway, we all delayed the start of the meeting while we watched in the glacially slow darkening of the sky. Finally, someone spotted it from the deck and we all gathered there. Obviously just inches above the trees about 30 minutes after sunset it was barely visible. I had focused on the Moon beforehand but this looks soft to me. Then again, comets are soft objects and the head looks fairly sharp. This does look like it will be a bright comet so try to get out and see it with your binoculars.
