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Comet and the Pacman

NickH

By NickH
in Imaging - Deep Sky

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NickH

NickH

Posted
Posted

Strangers In the Night

Image which took several weeks to compile.edit and tweak. Initial run using an Atik 314L camera and narrowband CCD filters (Astronomik HA/OIII/SII and CLS) imaged the comet in the field of NGC281, using a multi pane wireframe approach (taking just a few subs for each of the 4 areas including the starfield/NGC281).

Then the comet was imaged in full on the night of closest approach to NGC281, with 30-60s sub frames in HA/OIII/SII narrowband augmented by a CLS filter. where the OIII channel really lit up quite well.

Then using a median combine method to eliminate the starfields, and then a SD combine on the starfield to put the comet back in to its correct position with no trailing (method used on other images I have made just of the comet), the comet was placed back into the correct FOV area against NGC281. The framework of star reference points and the nebula were imaged on the same night (one-two subs for each, relatively short) using the CLS filter and a H-A filter for the Nebula basic outline/shell.

Then gradually over several weeks, data was gathered to get enough sub frame time on the nebula in narrowband, mapping to a combination pallette of HST mapping and HA/OIII/SII, (total integration time around 12 hours in 300s sub frames), and the surrounding starfields. As the comet was moving very quickly, this was the only way it could be done to achieve this level of detail and complexity in the final image.

Atik 314L and Atik 4000CCD

Manually composited, along with use of Registar/MAxim DL/Photoshop CS5

TMB105 F6.2 refractor

Autoguided by PHD guide/ST102

EQ6 mount using EQ MOD and EQ Mosaic for the initial wireframe

Processed in Maxim DL/Registar and Photoshop CS5 using Noels Actions and Focus Magic plug in/DDP processing in MAxim DL for Nebula, Deconvolution FT process on star fields and nebula in Maxim DL.

Taken in Oct 2010 from my home in Cherhill, WIltshire, UK, this comet has since gone on to show quite remarkable activity compared to any other, with abundant CO2 being the most unusual ever seen from a cometary body.

post-14410-1338776544_thumb.jpg

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barkis

barkis

Posted
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It's a great image Nick, and the two very different objects seem to compliment each other. You've put a lot of effort into the processing of this, and a job well done.

New members will be intrigued by this picture, and probably wonder what the comet was called. 17P/ Holmes I am assuming it is, and you did produce some fine images of it as I recall.

Good to have you posting again, you've been away for a while.

Ron.

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NickH

NickH

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Thanks Ron, it was Comet 103P Hartley/2

I had this image under wraps for a while for a reason, that reason is no more...so it's open season!..

Been a bit busy as you may have seen :-)

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cloudbuster

cloudbuster

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me also thinks that this lovely image is a POW contender. If SGL did a book....and believe me it would be the mother of all image books (hubble excluded), then im sure its pics such as this that would get in print....time for a new thread me thinks??? lol

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