Comet Lulin on Feb 21, 2009


f=1600mm prime focus

Date & Time: Feb 21 2009, from 24:05 to 24:23 JST(+0900)
Composed 4 shots with 6 minutes exposed
Optical: Meade 25cm(10") Schmidt-Cassegrain with a conversion lens (f=1600mm, F6.3)
Auto-guided with Meade LX200 Equatorial & Pictor 201XT
Digital Camera: Nikon D50 (Remodeled)
Location: Ooizumi, Hokuto city, Yamanashi pref.

Camera Settings: Recording Format...12bit CCD-RAW, converted to 16bit TIFF(3008×2000)
CCD Sensitivity...ISO1600



f=530mm prime focus

Date & Time: Feb 21 2009, from 24:06 to 24:23 JST(+0900)
Composed 4 shots with 5 minutes exposed
Optical: TAKAHASHI 16cm(6.3") epsilon (f=530mm, F3.3)
with IDAS LPS-P1 Light-pollution suppression filter
Auto-guided with TAKAHASHI JP Equatorial
Digital Camera: Fujifilm FinePix S2Pro
Location: Ooizumi, Hokuto city, Yamanashi pref.

Camera Settings: Recording Format...12bit CCD-RAW, converted to 16bit TIFF(3024×2016)
CCD Sensitivity...ISO1600, White Balance...Auto



f=200mm telephoto lens

Date & Time: Feb 21 2009, from 23:50 to 24:23 JST(+0900)
Composed 6 shots with 6 minutes exposed
Optical: AF zoom-Nikkor ED 80-200mmF2.8 (f=200mm, F3.2)
with IDAS LPS-P2-FF Light-pollution suppression filter
Auto-guided with Meade LX200 Equatorial
Digital Camera: Nikon D80 (Remodeled)
Location: Ooizumi, Hokuto city, Yamanashi pref.

Camera Settings: Recording Format...12bit CCD-RAW, converted to 16bit TIFF(3872×2592)
CCD Sensitivity...ISO800


This page shows you several comet Lulin shots captured 3 days before the closest to the Earth. The comet in that day has been positioned around midway of eta and beta Vir with a brightness of about 5th magnitude, I could detect easily with my naked eyes. The images show you an anti-tail with a length of over 2 degrees in ESE and an indistinct ion tail in opposite direction.


Lulin on Mar 6, 2009
Lulin on early morning of Feb 7, 2009

Copyright(c) 2009 by Naoyuki Kurita, All rights reserved.
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