{"id":42261,"date":"2023-02-15T11:52:58","date_gmt":"2023-02-15T11:52:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/?p=116149"},"modified":"2023-02-15T12:32:42","modified_gmt":"2023-02-15T12:32:42","slug":"farewell-comet-e3-ztf-and-thanks-for-the-memories","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/farewell-comet-e3-ztf-and-thanks-for-the-memories\/","title":{"rendered":"Farewell Comet E3 ZTF, and thanks for the memories"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stuart Atkinson says one final farewell to the Green Comet as it begins to fade from our skies. <\/p>

By Stuart Atkinson\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 15 February 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

Late on the evening of 8 August 2022 I set up my photographic gear \u2013 a Canon 700D DSLR on an iOptron Sky Tracker \u2013 in the car park behind where I live and swung my 300mm lens towards the area of the sky where a comet<\/a> was lurking.<\/p>\n

It was so faint and so far away that I knew the chances of capturing it with my very basic equipment on a still quite light summer evening were slim, but ever the optimist I clicked away, taking a dozen or so images to stack<\/a> the next day.<\/p>\n

Look back at Stuart\u2019s Comet E3 ZTF blog<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Comet C\/2022 E3 ZTF in pictures<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\""Stuart\"<\/picture><\/div>
Stuart Atkinson braved the cold at 05:45 UTC on 7 December 2022 to capture this (cropped) image of Comet C\/2022 E3 ZTF. Equipment: Canon EOS 700D DSLR camera, iOptron sky tracker, 80-300mm lens at 300.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""John\"<\/picture><\/div>
John Chumack captured this image of the comet shining at about mag. +8.2 magnitude in the constellation Corona Borealis on 29 December 2022 from Yellow Springs, Ohio, USA\/ <\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Comet\"<\/picture><\/div>
Comet C\/2022 E3 ZTF photographed by Stuart Atkinson from Kendall, Cumbria, UK on 2 January 2023 using a Canon EOS 700D DSLR camera on an iOptron Sky Tracker.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Comet\"<\/picture><\/div>
Comet C\/2022 E3 ZTF photographed by Stuart Atkinson from Kendall, Cumbria, UK on 2 January 2023 using a Canon EOS 700D DSLR camera on an iOptron Sky Tracker.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Comet\"<\/picture><\/div>
Comet C\/2022 E3 ZTF photographed by Stuart Atkinson from Kendall, Cumbria, UK on 2 January 2023 using a Canon EOS 700D DSLR camera on an iOptron Sky Tracker.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Jos\u00e9\"<\/picture><\/div>
Jos\u00e9 J. Chamb\u00f3 captured this image of Comet C\/2022 E3 (ZTF) on 24 December 2022 from Mayhill, New Mexico, USA. Credit: Jos\u00e9 J. Chamb\u00f3 (www.cometografia.es)<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Andy\"<\/picture><\/div>
Andy Smith captured this image of Comet C\/2022 E3 (ZTF) from Oxfordshire, UK on 8 January 2023. Equipment: Modified Canon 90D DSLR camera, Explore Scientific CF127, iOptron CEM 70, LPro Max filter. Lights: 18 x 40s @ ISO 3200, Processing: APP Photoshop Lightroom<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Neil\"<\/picture><\/div>
Neil Wilson captured this image of Comet C\/2022 E3 ZTF) from Terrington, St. Clement, UK on 9 January 2023. Equipment: Altair 26C Protec camera, Celestron 9.25\u201d EdgeHD + Hyperstar V4, Sky-Watcher AZ EQ6 mount. 60\u00d710\u2033 light frames, gain 100, -10C; 20xdark frames. Capture: N.I.N.A., PHD2. Processing: Deep Sky Stacker, Starnet++, Photoshop.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Stuart\"<\/picture><\/div>
Stuart Atkinson captured this image of Comet C\/2033 E3 (ZTF) on the morning of 17 January 2023 from Kendal, UK. Equipment: Canon EOS 700D DSLR camera, tracking mount.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Stuart\"<\/picture><\/div>
Stuart Atkinson captured this image of Comet C\/2033 E3 (ZTF) on the morning of 17 January 2023 from Kendal, UK. Equipment: Canon EOS 700D DSLR camera, tracking mount.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Stuart\"<\/picture><\/div>
Stuart Atkinson captured this image of Comet C\/2033 E3 (ZTF) on 21 January 2023 from Kendal, UK. Equipment: Canon EOS 700D DSLR camera, tracking mount.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""The\"<\/picture><\/div>
The Sky at Night\u2019s Pete Lawrence captured this image of Comet E3 on the morning of 24 January 2023.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Darshna\"<\/picture><\/div>
Darshna Ladva was capturing images of Comet E3 in the morning of 18 January 2023 when she caught a meteor in the same view. See more of her photos on Instagram at @nebuladva.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Comet\"<\/picture><\/div>
Comet C\/2022 E3 (ZTF) with anti-tail passing by the Knife Edge Galaxy (NGC 5907), captured by Daniel Zoliro, Chouteau, Oklahoma, USA , 23 January 2023.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Comet\"<\/picture><\/div>
Comet C\/2022 E3 ZTF captured by Stuart Atkinson on 27 January 2023 from Methven, Scotland. Equipment: Canon 700D DSLR camera, iOptron Sky Tracker.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Dominic\"<\/picture><\/div>
Dominic Reardon captured this image of Comet C\/2022 E3 ZTF on 25\/26 January 2023 from Arnside, Cumbria, UK. Equipment: Nikon D500 camera, Sigma 150-500 f\/5-6.3 lens, iOptron Skyguider Pro & William Optics base.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Benedict\"<\/picture><\/div>
Benedict von Schubert captured this image of Comet C\/2022 E3 (ZTF) on 27 January 2023 from Richmond, London, UK. Equipment: Canon EOS 77D, Sky-Watcher Evostar 72ed, Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer mount.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""John\"<\/picture><\/div>
John Chumack captured this image of Comet C\/2022 E3 ZTF on 4 February 2023 from Dayton, Ohio, USA.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Comet\"<\/picture><\/div>
Comet C\/2022 E3 ZTF passing Capella, captured by Stuart Atkinson from Kendal, Cumbria, UK on 5 February 2023. Credit: Canon EOS 700D DSLR camera, iOptron tracker.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Comet\"<\/picture><\/div>
Comet C\/2022 E3 (ZTF) John Chumack, Yellow Springs, Ohio, USA, 26 November 2022 Equipment: ZWO ASI 294MC camera, TPO 12-inch F4 Newtonian reflector, Software Bisque Paramount ME mount <\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nAs the software chugged away I was pretty sure the comet wouldn\u2019t appear \u2013 but when the final image appeared on the screen I could see a barely-there smudge, little more than an out-of-focus star, in just the right place.\n

I double checked using different software, just in case I was mistaking an artefact for the comet, but it was still there.<\/p>\n

Last night I went back to the same car park, set up the very same gear in the very same place and photographed the same comet, knowing that it might be the last opportunity I would have to do so because bad weather is moving in and the comet is fading fast too.<\/p>\n

I said goodbye and wished it well, you know, just in case I don\u2019t get another chance.<\/p>\n

\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Neil Wilson captured this image of Comet C\/2022 E3 ZTF) from Terrington, St. Clement, UK on 9 January 2023. Equipment: Altair 26C Protec camera, Celestron 9.25\u201d EdgeHD + Hyperstar V4, Sky-Watcher AZ EQ6 mount. 60\u00d710\u2033 light frames, gain 100, -10C; 20xdark frames. Capture: N.I.N.A., PHD2. Processing: Deep Sky Stacker, Starnet++, Photoshop.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

The comet in question was C\/2022 E3 ZTF, and for the past few months it has been observed, imaged and sketched by countless thousands of people around the world.<\/p>\n

t was hyped-up by the media because of its dramatic appearance in long exposure photos taken through telescopes \u2013 its head was a vivid green colour, and it grew a long gas tail too \u2013 and many people believed reporters\u2019 claims that it would \u201cblaze in the sky!\u201d or \u201clight up the heavens!\u201d and expected, wrongly, to see it with their naked eyes from their light-polluted back gardens.<\/p>\n

\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Comet C\/2022 E3 (ZTF) with anti-tail passing by the Knife Edge Galaxy (NGC 5907), captured by Daniel Zoliro, Chouteau, Oklahoma, USA , 23 January 2023.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

In reality E3 was a good comet for amateur astronomers who knew the sky well and had binoculars or telescopes to look at it through.<\/p>\n

It had been predicted to achieve magnitude +5.5, technically making it visible to the naked eye, and it was<\/em> seen by some without any optical assistance, but only those who were under a very dark sky with no light pollution<\/a> or bright Moon in the way.<\/p>\n

For the vast majority of observers E3 was a pretty, elongated smudge they saw through binoculars or telescopes \u00a0at silly o\u2019clock on frosty January mornings, as it drifted between the two Dippers, swept past Polaris and then dropped down towards Capella<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Comet C\/2022 E3 ZTF passing Capella, captured by Stuart Atkinson from Kendal, Cumbria, UK on 5 February 2023. Credit: Canon EOS 700D DSLR camera, iOptron tracker.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

E3 is now an evening object in Taurus<\/a>, high in the sky as soon as darkness falls, but it is much fainter than it was even a week or so ago.<\/p>\n

Comet E3 has passed Mars<\/a> \u2013 a celestial close encounter photographed by many people but missed by many more \u2013 and is now heading towards Aldebaran, the brightest star in the much-loved v-shaped Hyades cluster<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The comet\u2019s best days are definitely behind it, and although its show isn\u2019t over yet it has started singing its final encore and a stagehand is ready to bring the curtain down.<\/p>\n

Although E3 was a beautiful object photographically, visually it was not a \u2018Great Comet\u2019 like Hale-Bopp<\/a>, Hyakutake or West (more on these in our guide to the greatest comets of recent times<\/a>).<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t as good as Comet NEOWISE<\/a> from a couple of years ago, either.<\/p>\n

\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Benedict von Schubert captured this image of Comet C\/2022 E3 (ZTF) on 27 January 2023 from Richmond, London, UK. Equipment: Canon EOS 77D, Sky-Watcher Evostar 72ed, Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer mount.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Of course, it was never going to be as impressive as those comets; we knew that just by crunching the data when it was first discovered and its orbit around the Sun and path across the sky were calculated.<\/p>\n

The numbers didn\u2019t lie: E3 would pass quite close to Earth, but not close enough to make it spectacular.<\/p>\n

It would be a nice comet, a naked eye treat for some perhaps, but a binocular challenge for most \u2013 and that\u2019s exactly what it turned out to be.<\/p>\n

But E3 was a great<\/em> comet to see and photograph.<\/p>\n

Its track across the sky took it past some interesting stars and deep sky objects; it developed very pretty dust and gas tails; it didn\u2019t fade away early, frustrating us.<\/p>\n

It just\u2026 behaved itself, which is unusual in itself for comets.<\/p>\n

\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
John Chumack captured this image of Comet C\/2022 E3 ZTF on 4 February 2023 from Dayton, Ohio, USA.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

And although some veteran observers have been sniffy about it (\u201cI wouldn\u2019t get out of bed to look for it!\u201d someone commented on social media) it\u2019s important to remember that E3 was the first comet a lot of people have ever seen, so it will always be very special to them.<\/p>\n

True, it didn\u2019t unfurl a misty tail that swept across the sky like a banner flying from the tallest turret of a fantasy castle, and it didn\u2019t cast shadows on the ground, but it was there<\/em>, and in years to come, when they have moved on to bigger and better telescopes, when a truly \u2018great\u2019 comet actually is blazing in their sky, many people will remember E3 as \u201cmy first comet\u201d with great fondness.<\/p>\n

This is my last Comet E3 update.<\/p>\n

If the weather allows I will look for the comet again of course, and try to take more photos too, but something tells me last night was my last date with it in the Cumbrian sky, and if it was I\u2019m okay with that.<\/p>\n

So, farewell Comet C\/2022 E3 ZTF \u2013 and thank you. It was nice hanging out with you for a while.<\/p>\n

Follow more of Stuart\u2019s astronomy adventures via his @mars_stu<\/a> Twitter handle.<\/strong><\/em><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n

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