Comet Neowize

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YosemiteSam

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I haven't done much Astrophotography in a couple of years, but several buddies from the Westport Astronomical Society that I know do all the time.

Here is one taken by Dana Weisbrot over Rowayton CT. 4:17 am this morning. I'm sure the group will continue so, more will follow. I will try to remember and post more pics as they come available.

0Gy8Nh.jpg
 
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YosemiteSam said:
Shannon Calvert took this awesome image. The second streak you see in the sky is the International Space Station (ISS) He got two birds with one stone! :)


FwpKuo.jpg
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Nice!

So I'm assuming this is a time lapse photo, since the ISS doesn't leave a trail.
 
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Runwildboys said:
Nice!

So I'm assuming this is a time lapse photo, since the ISS doesn't leave a trail.
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In astrophotography, we are usually imaging very dim objects, so you we usually do long exposures photography. That basically means instead of the shutter opening for a small fraction of a second as we do with normal photography, the shutter can open for several seconds or even several minutes when imaging very dim DSOs (Deep Space Objects)

It's not uncommon to have the shutter open for 10 minutes when imaging the sky at night as many things we image are not visible to the naked eye. (which is why we use computerized tracking mounts so we don't get motion blur from the Earth's spin) Even with the shutter open for 10 minutes, they can easily take 10 to 50+ images at 10+ minutes a piece and then use imaging tools to merge all the images together just so you get enough detail of the object to actually see more than just a shadow of what it actually is.

The ISS usually takes about 2 minutes to cross the sky. Based on how long that streak is, I would think that exposure for that image was probably 8-10 seconds long.
 
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YosemiteSam said:
In astrophotography, we are usually imaging very dim objects, so you we usually do long exposures photography. That basically means instead of the shutter opening for a small fraction of a second as we do with normal photography, the shutter can open for several seconds or even several minutes when imaging very dim DSOs (Deep Space Objects)

It's not uncommon to have the shutter open for 10 minutes when imaging the sky at night as many things we image are not visible to the naked eye. (which is why we use computerized tracking mounts so we don't get motion blur from the Earth's spin) Even with the shutter open for 10 minutes, they can easily take 10 to 50+ images at 10+ minutes a piece and then use imaging tools to merge all the images together just so you get enough detail of the object to actually see more than just a shadow of what it actually is.

The ISS usually takes about 2 minutes to cross the sky. Based on how long that streak is, I would think that exposure for that image was probably 8-10 seconds long.
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As I started reading your response, it occurred to me that the ISS is moving at about 5 miles per second, so the shutter probably wasn't open long. Until then I was wondering why the comet didn't have a similar, though lesser effect. This would seem to indicate the comet is moving Northeast, from our vantage point. I expected it to be moving laterally, from reading the OP.
 
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Runwildboys said:
As I started reading your response, it occurred to me that the ISS is moving at about 5 miles per second, so the shutter probably wasn't open long. Until then I was wondering why the comet didn't have a similar, though lesser effect. This would seem to indicate the comet is moving Northeast, from our vantage point. I expected it to be moving laterally, from reading the OP.
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Well, remember. Neowise is MUCH further away than ISS. I believe at it's closest to Earth it will be approximately 64 million miles away. In comparison, ISS is only 254 miles away. So, even at a far greater speed that ISS, you won't see anywhere near the same motion blur. The motion blur of the Earth's rotation would likely be seen before the motion blur of Neowise due to sheer distance even though I'm guessing it probably traveling around 50k miles per hour. (I couldn't find a actual estimate)

If you guys get a chance (early morning) go out and take a look! You can see it naked eye! Once it's gone, it won't be back for another 6,766 years!!!
 
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YosemiteSam said:
Well, remember. Neowise is MUCH further away than ISS. I believe at it's closest to Earth it will be approximately 64 million miles away. In comparison, ISS is only 254 miles away. So, even at a far greater speed that ISS, you won't see anywhere near the same motion blur. The motion blur of the Earth's rotation would likely be seen before the motion blur of Neowise due to sheer distance even though I'm guessing it probably traveling around 50k miles per hour. (I couldn't find a actual estimate)

If you guys get a chance (early morning) go out and take a look! You can see it naked eye! Once it's gone, it won't be back for another 6,766 years!!!
Click to expand...
I'll catch it next time.

I should have looked for it the past two mornings, but it slipped my mind. Though I went to work at 5 this morning, so it was probably too late anyway.
 
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