Getting ready for comet photos.

[usonian]

Sky Safari (non premium version) gave me some good guidance.

Here's where to start.



Venus, Arcturus and Corona Borealis are easy to find.

For finer location, look for Venus and the triangle in Serpens.



Happy comet hunting!

Getting cameras ready now.

[msongs]

1. no comet in honolulu last night. guess wer're in the wrong area nt

[Talitha]

2. Hope you get some good ones!

The comet was very easy to see (naked-eye) from northcentral WI tonight, despite the nearly full Moon and fading twilight.
Its coma was about 1/2 way between Venus and Arcturus, and the tail extended beyond my binoculars 7.1 degree field-of-view.

What a beauty!

[usonian]

3. There was a decent view from the Sierra Foothills, but I think there was too much residual light, and the moon coming up

It wasn't all that easy to see unaided.


Wideangle shot. (24mm)



Telephoto (155mm) and cropped.

I am switching entirely to my old manual focus lenses for astro photos.
Motor-driven focus, even in "manual" mode is frustrating, as it looks like focus goes past infinity.

I'll try again, since earlier star fields were nice and sharp.
and FWIW, there's a lot of turbulence around my ridge.
I rate them "OK"

I like the sharpness of a photo I posted earlier.
The air must have been real steady that night.
More up to my standards. But what the heck.
You play the hand you're dealt. 🃏

[Talitha]

4. Thanks for sharing these - your wideangle shot is exactly what I saw.

Moonwash and twilight definitely interfered, but your image is still magical. Naked-eye viewing is helped by blocking the twilight glow with your hand. Properly dark-adapted eyes are important too. I'm not sure what kind of camera you're using, but an illuminated screen will definitely ruin your night vision.
Great photos!

[usonian]

5. Thanks!

These photos are with a Nikon Z5 and 24-200 zoom.

The comet was barely visible to my eyes, so I just put the camera on wide, let it expose as long as it wanted, and used the flat panel to locate the comet and later zoom in.

Given that I didn't elevate the camera a lot, the viewfinder was out, and I used the home screen of the phone to light up the controls, so I could see which button is which.

Thanks for the kind words. There are two aspects in my photography. One is to capture the mood of the scene and the second is to capture detail that the eye normally misses. So, your comments are most gratifying.