Hartley visits the Owl | Craig & Tammy Temple

By: Craig & Tammy Temple October 6, 2010 0

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Photographer:

Craig & Tammy Temple

Location of Photo:

Hendersonville, TN

Date/Time of photo:

October 3, 2010

Equipment:

Telescope: William Optics ZenithStar 66 @ f/4.7; Accessories: William Optics 0.8x reducer/flattener vII; Dew control by Dew Buster; Mount: Orion Atlas EQ-G controlled by EQMOD guided Off-axis; Camera: QHY9-C one-shot color CCD @ -20.0C; Exposure: 45 x 2min. (1hr. 30min.)

Description:

Here is comet Hartley 2 as it was traveling through the constellation Cassiopeia on the evening of October 3, 2010. It had brightened to magnitude 5.52 as it passed about 2 degrees from NGC 457, The Owl Cluster. This comet was discovered by Malcom Hartley in Australia on March 15, 1986 and has an orbital period of about 6.5 years.