Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Gemini (Gem)  ·  Contains:  Solar system body or event
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Eskimo Nebula has Flyby of Icy Comet, 103P/ Hartley, at Perihelion, 2023-10-12, Dan Bartlett
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Eskimo Nebula has Flyby of Icy Comet, 103P/ Hartley, at Perihelion, 2023-10-12

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Eskimo Nebula has Flyby of Icy Comet, 103P/ Hartley, at Perihelion, 2023-10-12, Dan Bartlett
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Eskimo Nebula has Flyby of Icy Comet, 103P/ Hartley, at Perihelion, 2023-10-12

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Description

Okay, this was a doozy.  416 x15 second exposures were taken with a C14 HyperStar under near ideal sky conditions.  Initially I was planning on 60 seconds but reduced the exposure length to 45 seconds, then to 30 seconds and finally settled on 15 seconds.  Why the adjustment?  SGP showed the Eskimo nebula was overexposed on ALL accounts with 15 seconds showing the least amount of clipping in the un-stretched view on the computer screen.

When processing, I used a Game script mask to cover up the planetary nebula when stretching the rest of the image.  That means the planetary nebula is still in its linear state - un-stretched.

Comet 103/ Hartley reached perihelion on this date and is projected to be around peak brightness for this time period.  Really no comparison between comet and planetary nebula,  however it is an interesting view at full scale/full resolution.  Even more interesting is that NGC 2392 (The Eskimo Neb) holds up rather well at 2 x 1 magnification.  Easy on the star shape comments, after all the scope is a SCT not a premium refractor.

Thanks!

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  • Eskimo Nebula has Flyby of Icy Comet, 103P/ Hartley, at Perihelion, 2023-10-12, Dan Bartlett
    Original
  • Final
    Eskimo Nebula has Flyby of Icy Comet, 103P/ Hartley, at Perihelion, 2023-10-12, Dan Bartlett
    B

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Eskimo Nebula has Flyby of Icy Comet, 103P/ Hartley, at Perihelion, 2023-10-12, Dan Bartlett

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Comets Imaging