bnw12
Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) Jan. 29, 2023
I've been watching this comet for the last month and have seen some nice images. We got some clear skies, so I decided to dust off my astro equipment and give it a try. It's been awhile since I astrophotographed (last time I imaged was Sept. 2021), so I wondered if I'd remember the process - setting up equipment, camera settings, polar alignment, focusing, post processing, etc. Thankfully it came back to me.
The nucleus is quite bright - easily seen in 10x binoculars. The tail is not so bright - I really pushed the data to bring out the hint of a tail seen here.
Acquisition details: Fujifilm X-T10; Samyang 135mm f/2.0 ED UMC @ f2.0, ISO 1600; tracking with iOptron SkyTracker Pro; 20 x 60 sec; stacking with DeepSkyStacker (stacked on stars, so comet is slightly blurred - it's moving fast); editing with Astro Pixel Processor; and curves adjustment/star reduction/editing with GIMP; imaged around 4 am on January 29, 2023 from my backyard (Bortle 4). I almost drove out of town to slightly darker Bortle 3/4 skies but didn't want to brave the cold (10 deg F).
Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) Jan. 29, 2023
I've been watching this comet for the last month and have seen some nice images. We got some clear skies, so I decided to dust off my astro equipment and give it a try. It's been awhile since I astrophotographed (last time I imaged was Sept. 2021), so I wondered if I'd remember the process - setting up equipment, camera settings, polar alignment, focusing, post processing, etc. Thankfully it came back to me.
The nucleus is quite bright - easily seen in 10x binoculars. The tail is not so bright - I really pushed the data to bring out the hint of a tail seen here.
Acquisition details: Fujifilm X-T10; Samyang 135mm f/2.0 ED UMC @ f2.0, ISO 1600; tracking with iOptron SkyTracker Pro; 20 x 60 sec; stacking with DeepSkyStacker (stacked on stars, so comet is slightly blurred - it's moving fast); editing with Astro Pixel Processor; and curves adjustment/star reduction/editing with GIMP; imaged around 4 am on January 29, 2023 from my backyard (Bortle 4). I almost drove out of town to slightly darker Bortle 3/4 skies but didn't want to brave the cold (10 deg F).