Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner: an image (17 Sept. 2018)
We continue observing comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner after its perihelion, while it leaves the inner Solar System. The comet is slowly fading.
Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner: 17 Sept. 2018
The image above comes from the average of 22, 180-seconds exposures, unfiltered, remotely collected “Elena” (PlaneWave 17″+Paramount ME+SBIG STL-6303E) robotic unit available at the Virtual Telescope Project. The robotic telescope tracked the apparent motion of comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, so stars left trails on the background. The image scale is 1.2″/pixel. The comet was 35 deg. above the horizon.
Once averaged, images were carefully processed to assure a good visibility of both the bright false nucleus and the faint coma. Overall, the comet is apparently fading, as apparent from the images we collected so far.
We plan to observe this comet regularly.
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