Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy: a new mosaic (11 Feb. 2015)
A new imaging session for comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy was planned at Virtual Telescope, thanks to a short window of clear skies. Luckily enough, as soon as we ended the planned run, the clouds were back again.
The image above comes from the average of six, 120-seconds unfiltered exposures, remotely collected with the PlaneWave 17″+Paramount ME+SBIG STL-6303E robotic unit part of the Virtual Telescope Project. The telescope tracked at the apparent rate of the comet. Three adjacent portions of the sky were imaged, later carefully superimposed, to cover a larger field of view. We used a 3×3 binning, providing the highest sensibility to light, still with a 1.8″/pixel, good resolution for a detailed view.
We provide also a negative palette, making easier to see the complex pattern of the tail.
Support The Virtual Telescope Project!
Support us! Please, donate and receive an EXCLUSIVE image of the stunning COMET C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS and much more, specifically made for supporters like you!
(you can adjust the amount later)