Unidentified moving object in field of C/2019Y4 (ATLAS)

[David Strange]

While I was imaging C/2019Y4 last night I noticed a fuzzy trail on stacked images. I have been unable to get a response from the Minor Planet Checker, I just get error messages, so probably my inputting error. Could any kind soul please check the comet field for me last night around 0200h UT? Many thanks David

[David Strange]

Here is a two image blink comparison: start and end times: 02:14h and 02:25h  2020-03-23

https://www.dropbox.com/s/im2wjebof8mh083/C2019Y4_20200323_dgs.gif?dl=0

[Denis Buczynski]

Hi David, the fuzz is almost certainly a ghost of the bright star at the center of the frame. I had a similar fuzz appear on a sequence of one of my comet image runs. After I had done astrometry on the fuzz and sent it to Nick James he ran the astrometry though FindOrb and the result was an ludicrous earth orbit object. So I suspect your fuzz will be the same, a ghost image of the bright star. Nice image of the comet though, please send it to me for the BAA Comet Archive. Denis

[David Swan]

I agree with Denis. I got all sorts of artifacts like this with Hyperstar imaging until I got the right filter. Also, I’ve done a 30arcmin MPCChecker job and there wasn’t anything around.

[David Strange]

Thanks David, I have had peculiar analemma type trails on hyperstar images before but this one was a very regular motion between each successive image. However, when you actually look at the artifact close up it shows a spiked appearance, so other than a Klingon starship it must have been a ghost image from that bright star!

David

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