Comets in Moominland

Widefield image of Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4). 127mm Meade 500 Apo Refractor at f=900mm and Canon 600d DSLR. 30x2 minute lights at ISO 1600. Credit: Kurt Thrust

Cropped enlargement of Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) showing elongated coma at the front of a significant 'tail' and possible indication of a disintegrated nucleus. 127mm Meade 500 Apo Refractor at f=900mm and Canon 600d DSLR. 30x2 minute lights at ISO 1600. Credit: Kurt Thrust

Widefield image of Comet C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS) 127mm Meade 500 Apo Refractor at f=900mm and Canon 600d DSLR. 30x2 minute lights at ISO 1600. Credit: Pip Stakkert

Cropped enlargement of Comet C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS) showing near spherical coma with a developed tail.  127mm Meade 500 Apo Refractor at f=900mm and Canon 600d DSLR. 30x2 minute lights at ISO 1600. Credit: Pip Stakkert

" Two comets over the Jodrell Plank Observatory are currently visible through large binoculars or a small telescope . They have been moving through the constellation Camelopardalis the Giraffe, a constellation of visibly faint stars, which sit in the sky between the Constellations Ursa Major, Cepheus and Auriga. Comets move against the fixed pattern of background stars as they travel around the Sun in elliptical orbits of varying eccentricity.

Comet C/2019 Y1 (ATLAS) is currently in the constellation Cepheus and has an observed magnitude of 8.3 (below unaided eye from a dark site threshold of magnitude 6). The comet is approximately 166 million kilometres distant from the earth and the light captured from it in the above image took just over 9 minutes to travel to our telescope. After the 3rd May the comet will begin to recede from our planet. The comet will be closest to the Sun on the 31st of May as it follows it's near parabolic orbit through the Solar System. It is believed that it's nucleus has already been broken into a number of pieces by tidal gravitational forces. Close inspection of our images for the two comets show clear differences which may be associated with fragmentation of  Comet C/2019 Y1 (ATLAS) nucleus.

Comet C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS) is currently in the constellation Camelopardalis and has an observed magnitude of 8.7, so fainter than Comet C/2019 Y1 (ATLAS). The comet is approximately 255.5 million kilometres distant from the earth and the light captured from it in the above image took just over 14 minutes to travel to our telescope. This comet being much further away is intrinsically brighter. The comet is on a hyperbolic orbit and is currently heading in towards the Sun. The Hubble Space telescope has been used to estimate the size of the comet nucleus and is thought to be 18 km in diameter. Comet C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS) has broken records for its luminosity at its original detection distance. It is thought that it will be a naked eye object when closest to Earth in July 2022. 

Comet the Observatory Cat gave these two extra-solar visitors a 'big paws' up. Sadly the 'Visitor Centre' here at the Observatory remains closed". - Kurt Thrust acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

Crescents over Lowestoft

The New Moon in early evening 25-04-2020 - Composite image created from 4 video clips - 127mm Apo Refractor f=900mm and QHYL-11 video camera Credit: Kurt Thrust and Pip Stakkert (working 2 metres apart)

Venus in early evening 25-04-2020 - Composite image created from 3 video clips - 127mm Apo Refractor f=900mm and QHYL-11 video camera. Two of the three video clips were shot using a 'dark blue' Wratten photo-visual filter.  Credit: Kurt Thrust and Pip Stakkert ( still working 2 metres apart)

" A wonderful clear night here on the east coast of the United Kingdom. The Observatory has been running on a skeleton staff since the 'Covid 19 lockdown'. Only Pip and I remain at the Observatory Complex. Weather permitting, we remain vigilant and two metres apart whilst doing our best to provide the general public with interesting images of the night sky over Lowestoft. It will not be long before the planet Venus, which has graced our early evening skies in the west, becomes a morning star in the east. Venus is an 'inferior planet', that is its orbit is inside the orbit of the Earth and closer to the sun. As Venus orbits it appears to one side or the other of the Sun corresponding to either a morning or evening apparition. As the planet in it's orbit and from our perspective appears closer to the Sun and actually closer to the Earth it appears to us 'brighter' ,'bigger' and as a thinner crescent.

Venus is a cloud covered planet and of late some cloud details have been imaged by amateur astronomers using 'Ultra Violet filters' and very long imaging runs. We do not possess such a filter at the Jodrell Plank Observatory, so we used a blue filter as the nearest equivalent. We were unsure as to whether we had captured hints of cloud detail or whether this was 'noise' and wishful thinking!

We did not set out to image the Moon but when Pip and I saw it below Venus in the evening light, we were captivated by its beauty. We therefore swung the 127mm refracting telescope towards it and captured some photons.

We have been on 'Lockdown' at the Jodrell Plank Observatory for 8 weeks now and I must say that Pip Stakkert is beginning to look strangely attractive in the moonlight" ! - Kurt Thrust acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

Let's hope there is intelligent life in space!

Galaxies abound in the constellation Virgo - Altair Astro 66mm Doublet Refractor with 0.6x focal reducer and field flattener mounted on a Star Adventurer Equatorial Mount. Canon 600d DSLR operating at f=240mm. 60x1min lights at ISO 1600. Credit: Pip Stakkert

Annotated version of the above photograph showing the vast number of galaxies in the Constellation Virgo Credit: Astrometry Net

Star map showing the approximate position of the above image against the night sky - Credit: Astrometry Net

"In spring when I look South out over the Jodrell Plank Observatory, I can see the Constellations Leo Major, Virgo and Coma Berenices. Just South and East of the star Denebola  or Beta Leonis, which marks the Lion's tail, and East of the star Vindemiatrix in Virgo, is 'The realm of Galaxies'. This is an area of space filled with many galaxies lying millions of lightyears distant. Hopefully, on many of the countless planets orbiting the billions of stars in this image there will be intelligent life forms looking back" -Kurt Thrust acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.