Current Solar X-rays: Current Geomagnetic Field: |
Current Moon Phase |
Is Comet PanSTARRS fading? Here it was photographed in a bright moonlit sky on the cold, blustery, but very transparent evening of March 22 at 8:30 p.m., EDT. A equatorially mounted Canon 60D camera and Canon 70-200mm zoom lens with a 2X extender were used at an EFL of 640mm or about 13 power. The camera was equipped with an Astronomik IR/UV-Block EOS clip filter. The sensor was set to a color temperature of 3000K to correct for light pollution. Two 25 second images at F/5.6, ASA 800 one with the drive engaged and the other with the drive stopped (to capture the trees in better focus) were combined and color corrected into one image. Gary A. Becker photography from Coopersburg, PA... |
Comet PanSTARRS photographed on the evening of March 20 at 8:15 p.m., EDT. A tripod mounted Canon 60D camera and Canon 70-200mm zoom lens was used at an EFL of 320mm. The camera was equipped with an Astronomik IR/UV-Block EOS clip filter. The sensor was set to a color temperature of 4500K to help correct for light pollution. A single six second image at F/2.8, ASA 800 was used and color corrected. Gary A. Becker photography from Coopersburg, PA... |
Comet PanSTARRS was photographed on the windy, cold evening of March 19 at 8:15 p.m., EDT. A tripod mounted Canon 60D camera and Canon 24-70mm zoom lens was used at an EFL of 80mm. The camera was equipped with an Astronomik IR/UV-Block EOS clip filter. The sensor was set to a color temperature of 4500K to help correct for light pollution. A single three second image at F/2.8, ASA 1600 was used and color corrected. Gary A. Becker photography from Coopersburg, PA... |
Comet PanSTARRS was viewed on the blustery cold night of March 14 from the Collier Rooftop Observatory on the north campus of Moravian College, Bethlehem, PA. PanSTARRS is seen to the left of Martin Towers. The roof of PPHAC is at the far left. The comet became visible about 8 p.m. as the western twilight began to deepen. A tripod mounted Canon 60D camera and Canon 24-70mm zoom lens was used at an EFL of 80mm. The sensor was set to a color temperature of 3000K to help correct for light pollution. One two and one four second image at F/2.8, ASA 800 were combined and color corrected to produce this composite. Kudos to the 20 members of my astronomy class, who kindly put up with my image-taking. Gary A. Becker photography… |
Comet PanSTARRS emerges from the clouds on Wednesday, March 13 around 8 p.m. Keep in mind that the photo accentuates the sky brightness as well as the comet's luminosity. The scene appeared to the unaided eye as it would in late twilight. The use of binoculars allowed me to identify easily the brighter yellowish comet against a much darker sky. Gary A. Becker image from Coopersburg, PA... |
Comet PanSTARRS has been a difficult object to spot because of its very low altitude. Cloudy weather in the Northeast also hampered successful attempts to view the comet. I first observed and photographed PanSTARRS on March 13 around 8 p.m. using an equatorially mounted Canon 60D camera and 70-200mm Canon zoom lens at an EFL of 320mm. A four second image was snapped at F/2.8, ASA 800. Gary A. Becker image from Coopersburg, PA... |
This contrast enhanced full moon reveals detail visible through low powered binoculars and with the unaided eye: the dark circular basins called maria, the bright highlands pulverized by countless meteorite bombardments, and the luminous splotches and rays (splash marks) indicative of recent meteorite activity on the lunar surface. Gary A. Becker image... |
I thought Comet PanSTARRS was fading, but this image taken on the moonlit night of March 23 at 8:23 p.m. still indicates that the comet is putting on a very nice show. The twilight hour was still cold, around freezing, but the wind was gone. An equatorially mounted Canon 60D camera and Canon 24-70mm zoom lens were used at an EFL of 96mm. The sensor was set to a color temperature of 4000K to help correct for light pollution. Two 10 second images at F/3.2, ASA 800, one with the drive engaged and the other with the drive stopped (to capture the trees in better focus) were combined and color corrected into one image. Gary A. Becker photography from Coopersburg, PA... |
Comet ISON discovers, Vitali Nevski (r) and Artyom Novichonok (l) pose next to the 16-inch telescope which was used to make Comet ISON’s discovery. Right is a German engraving of the great comet of 1680 as printed in 1707. Bottom left, is the last great sungrazer, Comet Lovejoy (Robert McNaught image) which was seen in late December of 2011 from the Southern Hemisphere. Right, bottom is Comet McNaught, also a Southern Hemisphere spectacular seen in January and February of 2007. This image was taken by Fraser Gunn from Mount John in New Zealand. Comet ISON will be best seen in the predawn Northern Hemispheric skies during late November and early December of 2013, and may easily rival or surpass Lovejoy and McNaught. |