Comet C/2012 S1 Ison: a new image (20 Oct. 2013)

 

Comet C/2012 S1 Ison: 17 Oct. 2013

Comet C/2012 S1 Ison: 20 Oct. 2013

Despite the very bright (full) Moon, at Virtual Telescope we decided to image the same comet C/2012 S1 Ison. So, early in the morning of 20 Oct. 2013, the PlaneWave 17″ robotic unit was slewed to this target and images showed its tail pretty well.

Above is an image coming from the average of 16 different exposures, each integrated for 120 seconds, with no filters to use all the light collected by the telescope. Images were then aligned to compensate for the apparent motion of the object, while the robotic telescope’s mount was tracking at the apparent motion rate of the object.

Even with the strong lunar interference, comet Ison is showing a 10′ long tail. Some interference from Mars, showing in the same portion of the sky, is also visible.

If you want a map showing where comet Ison is, just click here

 

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