Observation by Alex Pratt: Video astrometry of comet 46P/Wirtanen

Uploaded by

Alex Pratt

Observer

Alex Pratt

Observed

2018 Dec 09 - 21:32

Uploaded

2018 Dec 10 - 22:06

Objects

46P Wirtanen

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Constellation

Hydra

Field centre

RA: 09^h38^m
Dec: -03°39'
Position angle: +3°17'

Field size

4°04' × 2°23'

Equipment

C11 f/10 @ f/3.3
Watec 910 video camera
IOTA-VTI GPS time inserter
OccuRec (recording)
Tangra (reduction)

Exposure

0.16s, 0.32s and 1.28s integrations

Location

Z92

Target name

Comet 46P/Wirtanen

Title

Video astrometry of comet 46P/Wirtanen

About this image

Comet 46P/Wirtanen is now climbing out of the light-polluted murk that haunts my observing location, particularly at lower elevations.

Dec 9/10 brought long clear intervals - a welcome change from the current monsoon season - so it was an opportunity for some video astrometry of this comet. Shorter integrations were employed to measure the position of its central condensation for submission to the MPC. The image at the lower right is a median stack of 8 x 1.28s exposures, starting to show the inner regions of its large coma.

Its motion was measured to be 0.06"/s in RA and 0.13"/s in Dec as it heads towards Taurus, to hopefully put on a good show between the Hyades and Pleiades.

Files associated with this observation

46P_20181209_2132_ARP.jpg (759.2 kB)

Like this image

Callum Potter, David Swan, Mr Leonard Entwisle, David Basey, Ray Emery, Tom Moran, Jimmy Fraser, Andy Wilson, Jeremy Shears, Peter Carson, Nick James, Dawson

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