Comet ISON and Mars from Kelling Heath

[MarkS]

Taken 5am BST Sunday 6th October at the Kelling Heath Star Party.

4 x 3minute exposures.  Canon 350D on Takahashi Epsilon 180ED with IDAS LP2 light pollution filter.



Bigger version here:
http://www.markshelley.co.uk/Astronomy/2013/ison_mars_kelling_06102013.jpg

[The Thing]

Brilliant image Mark.

[Ivor]

Excellent result.

[mickw]

Really nice image Mark

[Mike]

Fantastic as usual Mark.

[Carole]

Well done Mark.  I think I got it at around 5.30 am on Monday morning, bit it's right on the edge of the FOV and I only managed 2 shots before it got light.  I couldn't image it before that as it was behind a tree.

Very nice shot Mark, good colour.

Carole

[julian]

Very nice Mark

[MarkS]

Damian Peach's comet picture in yesterday's APOD
http://asterisk.apod.com/library/APOD/APOD%20mirror/ap131007.html

It was taken by a remote control telescope in New Mexico:
http://www.itelescope.net/gallery/itelescope-nasa-apod-images/

The T21 telescope - a 17" Planewave CDK:
http://www.itelescope.net/telescope-t21/

I feel rather outgunned

Anyway, if it's clear again tomorrow morning and the wind is not gusting too much, I'll have another go.  Mars and ISON are even closer in the sky now - just over 1.5 degrees separation.  See if ISON has changed at all.

[mickw]

I feel rather outgunned

It's a nice picture but it's not really "his" picture - Observatory, telescope, camera all belong to someone else in a different country.  All he's done really is process the images sent to him 

[MarkS]

Today's APOD
http://asterisk.apod.com/library/APOD/APOD%20mirror/ap131008.html

is also taken with one of those remote scopes -  a very nice refractor in Spain:
http://www.itelescope.net/telescope-t16/

He's processed the data sent to him and then added ...

... diffraction spikes!!!  

They immediately aroused my suspicion because the spikes are far too sharp compared with the overall sharpness of the image as a whole.

[MarkS]

Got up at 4am again this morning (Thur) and was greeted by a lovely sky.  By the time I was guiding and focused the clouds came over.  Waited until 5:30 but there were no decent breaks.  So that was the end of that!