Sunday, March 17, 2013

Comet PanSTARRS

The comet is finally visible over Idaho. This is not a spectacular comet unfortunately, but it's still easy to find. It’s best viewed through binoculars; do not use a telescope on this comet. To the unaided eye, the comet appears as a hazy star. Through binoculars and in dark skies, you will begin to see a tail. To see the comet in dark skies, you'll need to wait Earth's rotation carry the comet close to the horizon. This also means you’ll be viewing it through thicker atmosphere.

We’re in a race right now. Each day, the comet is climbing higher above the horizon and therefore visible in darker skies. At the same time, the comet is also traveling farther from the sun and therefore getting fainter. In this race, which factor will win?

The picture above was taken through a digital camera mounted on a tripod. The camera was set to six power optical zoom and the exposure was five seconds long.    

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