Ikeya-Zhang
Comet from N. Colorado
(03/09/02),
7:33pm
MDT
03/30/02,
7:34pm
MDT
The image on the left
is a combination of two 17 sec. exposures using a ST-6 CCD camera
through a Stellarvue
80mm refractor, tweaked with CCDops 5.21 and Photshop5.5.
The comet,then
in Pisces, was only up about an hour after twilight, so I took as many
shots as I could,
but none of them higher than about 15* above the horizon. Notice
the
split in the tail.
The color is false and displays differences in luminosity. The F.O.V. on
these images is
~1* x 45'
This image on the
right is next to Mirach (Mag 2.0) SAO 54477 (mag 9.5) & NGC 404
which
is just visible
through the comets' tail, at least in the original image.
The comets' tail
seems to have diminished somewhat and the coma has become a bit more
diffuse. This is
a 10 sec. ST-6 exposure through a Stellarvue 80mm.
This image,
taken from my front yard, since the sky was spotty and it didn't seem
prudent to drive
out and back the 82 miles to Cactus Flats for a 1 hour CCD session. I
only had time to
take about 10 exposures before the comet and Mirach disappeared behind
a cloud bank. CCDOps5.3
Thursday
April
4,
about 7:40 pm I-Z
next
to
M32/31
Mag. ~3.8
This
18 minute exposure of 800 Portra through a 80mm Stellarvue. But, I'm
not to happy with
this exposure. Because the comet was so close to the horizon,
and I found out
after the fact that one of the light baffles had come undone and
rotated 90*, which
obscured much of the detail. I have since reglued it solidly!!
Also, I
was in such a rush, I polar aligned on the wrong star (Pherkad) and could
barely compensate
for the movement of the guide star in the 9mm eyepiece.
Hence the
tail is much shorter than other images taken the same time at the
same locale and
not hint of M31/32. ARGhhhhhhh....another hard lesson, learned!!
April
13,
9:03
MDT
Clouds moving over
the Front Range gave only 45 minutes of dark to CCD the comet.
These exposures are 11 sec. ST-6 w/ 80mm Stellarvue refractor.
This
will
be
the
last
shot
of
Ikeya_Zhang,
it's
traveling
away
from
us
and
is
getting
much
dimmer
every
week.
June
1, 2002
1:01am
MST
This is a compilation
of 14-11 second exposures. Magnitude was about 8.3, located near
the head of Serpens.All
the CCD images on this page are the same scale. I've calculated
that the image
is 71.25' wide by 39 ' high. Some extent of a tail is still visible
in this
image and my C-14,
though it is quite dim by now. That night was slightly hazy so there
is a more than
normal point spread function going on here.
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