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Monday, September 30, 2024

COMET SEARCH & MORE

Location:  Prince of Wales, NB, Canada

Date Time:  September 30, 2024 0530-0700hrs

Weather:  Calm, no wind, clear except for some ground fog in places, no bugs, very dark at 0530, 12.2C and 89% humidity in Saint John at 0500hrs, 8C at 0630 in POW.  Very good viewing conditions.

Equipment:  Telescope 80 ed/apo with camera attached, 20x80 binoculars and a Canon Rebel T3 with 18-55mm lens.  Images processed through PhotoShop.

Objective:  To view and image Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-Atlas which is reported to be rising in the eastern, morning sky.  Also to image bright stars that are present.

Report:  After scanning the area where comet is reported to be, many times with binoculars, and taking many images of this region of sky, I could not find any sign of this comet, which is reportedly 2.2 magnitude.


The nearby, waning crescent Moon, which is below the hook of  Leo, was spectacular.


  • At 0607 hrs a bright shooting star came unexpectedly straight down from up high in the northern sky.  Jupiter brightness, yellowish, fast and left a smoke trail that hung in the air for several seconds afterwards.
  • Pegasus was low in the west at 0530hrs.  I could make out four stars within the great square, which means that one can see as faint as a 4th magnitude star, or a "limiting factor of 4".  Markab (Alpha Pegasi) was just over the horizon.
Facing west, the Great Square of Pegasus.

Markab
  • Rigel in Orion, Sirius, Jupiter & Taurus are all nicely placed in the South Eastern pre-dawn sky.  Jupiter is very high, almost straight up.  I imaged Sirius and Rigel with same camera settings to show the brightness difference.  Interesting how these two stars appear the same brilliant, bluish-white color.  Sirius is the brightest star in the sky and Rigel is the 7th brightest.  I also imaged Sirius with a short exposure to try to spit it's other star, Sirius B.

Jupiter high over Orion & Sirius.


Rigel

Sirius

Sirius, short exposure & cropped to try to spit Sirius B.






























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