Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Camelopardalis (Cam)  ·  Contains:  Solar system body or event
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Moonlit first pass at the Green Comet, Gerould Kern
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Moonlit first pass at the Green Comet

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Moonlit first pass at the Green Comet, Gerould Kern
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Moonlit first pass at the Green Comet

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This week brought the first clear skies in our area since mid-December, so I turned my telescope toward the "Green Comet"--C2022/E3 ZTF.

I've seen some beautiful images of this comet on Astrobin with a wispy tail sweeping off its coma as it makes its way around the sun and into the neighborhood of Earth.

On Tuesday (Jan. 31),  I collected an hour's worth of data, but moonlight and atmospheric haziness obscured most of the tail.   I don't get to choose the conditions, however, and did not want to miss this once-in-50,000-years experience. 

The comet's greenish cast and parabolic coma still made for a fascinating sight against the blackness of space. 

I'm hopeful I'll get another chance at it before it recedes too far into the distance.

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Moonlit first pass at the Green Comet, Gerould Kern