Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks: two stunning images – 2 Mar. 2024
After more than two weeks of rain and clouds, we could spot comet 12P/Pons-Brooks for a few minutes and we captured a stunning close up and a wider view on its marvelous tail.
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks: 2 Mar. 2024.
The image above comes from the sigma clipping combination of 6, 120-second unfiltered exposures, unguided, taken with the ARTEC250+Paramount ME+C3Pro61000EC robotic unit available as part of the Virtual Telescope Project facility in Manciano, Italy. At the imaging time, the target was less than 25 degrees above the NW horizon. A stunning tail is visible, spanning for more than 1 degree.
We also wanted to have a closer look on the inner coma, so we used our high-res telescope to get the image below.
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, a close-up on the inner coma: 2 Mar. 2024.
It comes from the sigma-clipping combination of seven, 180-second exposures, unfiltered and unguided, remotely taken with the Celestron C14+Paramount ME+SBIG ST8-XME robotic unit available as part of the Virtual Telescope Project. The resultig frame was carefully processed to show the mind blowing structure of the inner coma.
We will continue monitoring comet 12P/Pons-Brooks over the next weeks, as it approaches its perihelion, next 21 April.
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