By Emmanuele Sordini
Astronomy: images / Astronomy: reports
15 February 2016
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Heres another image of comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy: Ive got more of them on my processing backlog but I picked this one because its the one with the longest sub-exposures. It was taken from my backyard, in a heavily light-polluted area close to Varese, Italy. Longer sub-exposures tend to show the comets tail better, but at the expense of a sky background thats way more difficult to tame because of light pollution. And indeed, it turned out to be a […]
Discovered in August 2014 by Australian amateur astronomer Terry Lovejoy (at its fifth comet discovery), this comet is putting on a nice show. It is now shining at magnitude 4, therefore within naked-eye visibility, but only under a dark sky, in the constellation Eridanus. During the month of January, the visibility conditions will improve further, as it is rapidly heading towards more northern declinations. (For more info, please check out e.g. Sky & Telescope’s website). I imaged comet Lovejoy on […]
During the last bit of 2013, comet ISON was not the only comet visible Thank God, I’d say, because ISON turned out to be a real dud. Around late November there were four comets visible in the sky at the same time, the brightest of the pack being Comet C/2013 R1 Lovejoy, that went on to put on a really good show. Discovered on September 7 by Australian amateur astronomer Terry Lovejoy, this comet kept visible during the second half […]
Discovered in September 2012 by two Russian Astronomers (Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok) with the 40-cm reflector of the International Scientific Optical Network (ISON) at the Observatory of Kislovodsk (Russia), this comet soon catches the attention of the scientific community, because its perihelion is expected very close to the scorching solar surface at 0.012 AU, i.e. less than 2 million km. From the comet’s path and brightness curve in the months following its discovery, some people suggest that it might […]
In October 2010 the periodic comet 103/P Hartley 2 put up a nice show during its most favorable comeback since its discovery back in the mid 1980s, passing at around 0.1 AU from the Earth. 103/P is a comet discovered back in 1986. It is periodical with a period of around 6.5 years: this means it will be coming back into the inner Solar System at regular time intervals. The apparition of 2010 was by far the best since its […]
Discovered in the summer of 2007 by some Chinese astronomers, the comet Lulin wasnt expected to make the headlines: however, it was very well placed for observation from the northern hemisphere. In September 2008, observation led to think that it could brighten up to magnitude 4 in late February 2009, when it visibility would also be at its best. Shortly after solar conjuction, after Xmas 2008, the new brightness estimates led to a lower maximum expected brightness of mag. 5.5-6, […]