C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy - let's play snowballs

Yep, my first comet :) 5,5m - not bad to try for the first time. If not the Moon :(

 

Left image is what I consider "normal", the right image is overcooked to drag out, kicking and screaming, what I think is the comet's tail.

 

Acquisition time: 07.01.2014 22:22-22:58 MSK (UT+3), comet's maximum elevation for me was around 22:41 MSK and peaked at 31° 37'.

Equipment: Canon 60Da with Astronomics CLS-CCD clip-in filter and Baader Planetarium MPCC MkIII coma corrector on Celestron OMNI XLT 150 mm Newtonian reflector riding on Skywatcher NEQ-6 Pro.

Exposures: 33 @ISO800 55 seconds with 48 darks, 60 offset frames and 50 flat field frames.

Capture software: Magic Lantern

Processing: images were stacked in DSS in comet tracking mode and stacking result was post-processed in Photoshop.

 

Note: the Moon: -11,8m, 93,4% full, 19° 07' high.

 

Note 2: DeepSkyStacker is clever. Of 33 frames I have used it had mistaken the star for the comet on just one frame. Predictive powers :)

Done