Comet Lulin in March 2009 is just visible in this light polluted, widefield shot with the Canon EOS350mDSLR, 30 second exposure at ISO1600 and 18mm lens.
Right – EOS350 at the prime focus of the WO66SD and focal reducer. Unguided 20 sec frame to bring out the comet.
This was Lulin almost at closest approach and it never got to be a naked eye object as expected.
I received an email alert from the SPA that 17P Holmes had an outburst of gas around the orbit of Jupiter and brightened a million fold. It was four days later on 28 October 2007, before a gap in the clouds appeared and it took 20 seconds to find the comet in binoculars. I then set up the Canon EOS350 on a tripod and took a 5 second exposure ISO1600 using a 55mm lens and manual focus.
From there I looked at it through the William Optics SD66Z and then mounted up the Canon EOS350 DSLR to the focal reducer to get an image before the weather closed in again. 2.5 second exposure, ISO1600, unguided.
The 29 October was clear and I used the Meade ETX125EC telescope with the Canon EOS350 DSLR camera at prime focus to get a more detailed image. 20 second exposure, ISO1600 with the ETX125 tracking based on the normal alignment process. The coma was starting to develop and the bright point close to the centre is a background star and not part of the comet.
Out again the 30th October! Comet 17P Holmes captured with the Meade DSI with an Atik 0.5 focal reducer at the prime focus of the Meade ETX125. DSI software used to track the object and stack 125 two second exposures over 10 minutes.
Widefield shot with the Canon EOS350mDSLR, 20 second exposure at ISO1600 and 18mm lens. I was trying to catch Comet Tuttle, but Holmes is still visible in Perseus.
