Comet 8P/Tuttle, 12/28/2007
Above is ~26 frames of 1 minute each, then manually aligned on comet's head and "adaptive added" together using ImagesPlus. The comet is moving very fast relative to the trailing stars. Gaps in the star pattern are due to refocusing, taking of darks, and other interruptions. Processing: Background set to neutral, then I used my DSLR Workflow including Lab technique to accentuate the colors.
Look below for an alternate version of 17P/Holmes. Note: Comet Holmes Main Picture Page is now here!
Note: Comet Holmes Main Picture Page is now here!
Most recent (2007+) pictures use the following equipment: Canon EOS 20Da (unmodified) ISO 1600, Takahashi TOA 130 (a 5" APO refractor) with flattener, and Astro-Physics AP 900GTO mount.
Above, 10/2007: Comet LONEOS (C/2007 F1) Picture (click thumbnail for larger image)
NEAT Q4 with satellite (the line on the upper right)
May 16h, 2004. 251 sec, ISO 1000, see below for more info.
May 17, 2004, 217 seconds, ISO 800
Photo notes on NEAT Nikon D100, camera raw, ISO and exposure time as indicated, in camera noise reduction, Nikon 300mm f2.8 AIS lens at f2.8, and both are full-frame. (The effective focal length is 450mm.) Mounted to Losmandy G11. Processed in Photoshop with individual channels stretched to improve contrast, then a black level set to 15,15,20 (RGB) with the eyedropper. I used Neat Image noise reduction on the 2nd image (seems appropriate for a NEAT comet, eh?) The colors are pretty close to what came out of the camera...
A couple more NEAT Q4 shots from same trip out west. More comet photos below!
Old!: 22" Guide Scope Comet Photo by Terry A.
Below: a picture of comet Ikeya-Zhang. I took this in Wimberly, TX on March 11, 2002. I reprocessed the original shot to get a higher resolution image.
This comet was discovered by two amateur astronomers. It comes around earth every 341 years, so it was last seen in 1661. Under excellent conditions it was a naked eye object. More info is at: http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/space/03/13/comet.watch/
Here's the older, lower resolution version. It's quite a challenge in Photoshop for a variety of reasons
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Technical Details: Nikon F2 camera, Nikon 300 f2.8 lens wide open, ~4 minute exposure unguided, Losmandy G-11 mount, Kodak LE 400 film, Nikon Coolscan IV ED film scanner, quick and dirty processing in Photoshop.
5/6/04: Comet NEAT (C 2001 Q4): 
(no tail!)
Copyright © 2002-2007 by Dick Locke. All Rights Reserved.
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