Comet 12P/Pons Brooks

So I finally got around to capturing the periodic comet 12P/Pons Brooks.

Since I was not able to capture this comet from my permanent telescope at my home (too low to get above the tree line) I decided to get my portable scope upgraded (GT102 on iEQ30) and take a short trip to my home church in Westminster.  There I was able to capture 32 subs using my ASI533 OSC. I stuck with just 60sec subs as the western sky here in Westminster at this time has a lot of aircraft traffic and even StarLink trails due to the early evening time frame. I took 70 subs and ended up with only 32 at the end. Had I gone with the 120 sec exposure rate I probably wouldn't have had a single sub with a trail! 

Comet 12P/Pons Brooks - March 21, 2024
GT102 Telescope / ASI533mc Camera
32 x 60 sec subs

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is a Halley-type periodic comet. It was first discovered by Jean-Louis Pons on July 12, 1812, and later independently rediscovered by William Robert Brooks in 1883. This comet has an orbital period of about 71.3 years. Note: So, if I didn't capture it now, I don't think I will have another opportunity :)

During its closest approach to the Sun (perihelion), comet 12P/Pons-Brooks comes within approximately 0.78 astronomical units (AU) (72.5 million miles) of the Sun. At its furthest point (aphelion), it is located at a distance of about 17.2 AU (1.6 billion miles). Interestingly, this comet is also associated with the κ-Draconids meteor shower.

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is expected to reach its maximum brightness, potentially becoming visible to the naked eye during the month of April. Coincidentally, its closest approach occurs just a few days before a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. 

Fossil Footprint Nebula

NGC 1491, also known as the Fossil Footprint Nebula (and other designations: SH2-206 and LBN 70), is an emission type bright nebula located approximately 10,700 light years away from Earth in the constellation of Perseus. Hot stars ionize the surrounding gas, causing it to glow in visible light. These stars, such as the blue 11.22 magnitude star BD+50 866, emit copious amounts of ultraviolet radiation, which ionizes the hydrogen gas forming the nebula. This hot star is also creating a bubble in the gas that immediately surrounds it.

NGC 1491 - Celestron EdgeHD 11"; ZWO ASI2600mm, Nov 3-8, 2023
Total integration time: 16.5 hours

This image was acquired over a six night period: November 3 through November 8, 2023. It was processed in the standard Hubble Palette with RGB stars added in. Longer sub exposure times would probably have brought in more of the subtle O3 and S2 signal, so this is definitely a subject for another try in the future. The image above is a 50% crop of the original wider field (below) which shows the expansive gas cloud, albeit quite dim.