{"id":41024,"date":"2023-01-26T14:22:42","date_gmt":"2023-01-26T14:22:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/?p=115546"},"modified":"2023-01-26T15:34:11","modified_gmt":"2023-01-26T15:34:11","slug":"how-to-photograph-a-comet","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/how-to-photograph-a-comet\/","title":{"rendered":"How to photograph a comet"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Pete Lawrence\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 26 January 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Have you ever wanted to photograph a comet? Photographs of comets can be absolutely spectacular and, as comets are so unpredicatable, they can require a bit of luck and timing to produce something with that \u2018wow\u2019 factor.<\/p>\n

But as well as producing wonderful astrophotography \u2013 or cometography \u2013 your comet images can contribute to science by helping to document how a comet<\/a> evolves over time.<\/p>\n

A good and surprising example was comet 17P\/Holmes, which underwent a massive outburst back in 2007, appearing over half a million times brighter than expected.<\/p>\n

Find out which comets and asteroids are visible tonight<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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Comet 17P\/Holmes imaged on 28 October 2007 with an outburst appearance unlike most comets. Credit: Pete Lawrence<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

The outburst was accompanied by many changes in the comet\u2019s appearance that, when viewed in sequence, described the fascinating and unusual evolution of this amazing object.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Many different camera setups are suitable for imaging comets.<\/p>\n

Brighter comets make ideal targets for general photographic equipment, such as a DSLR fitted with a standard lens.<\/p>\n

Dimmer targets up the ante, requiring more sensitive equipment, typically a cooled CCD camera<\/a> fitted to a telescope.<\/p>\n

In this guide we\u2019ll give you basic tips on photographing comets, but we\u2019ll also look at some more technical cometography projects that will provide vital scientific data.<\/p>\n

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Comet C\/2017 passing M106 Vivek Chari, Texas, USA, 24\u201325 June 2020. Equipment: Nikon D5300 DSLR, Stellarvue SV80 apo refractor, Sky-Watcher EQ6R Pro mount<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Hardware & Software<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Hardware<\/strong><\/h3>\n