The last few nights have been clear, cold and good for astrophotography. Just in time for the return of the moon. I’m done for now, having put everything away until the next full moon passes. I suppose I could get up in the early mornings and shoot but it is too cold to make that very enjoyable.
M82, the Cigar Galaxy. I added more exposure to what I had from last year. I think I’m getting close to showing an overprocessed image, trying to show the red tendrils of glowing hydrogen emitting from the core of the starburst galaxy. The Monkeyhead Nebula in Orion. Another one that I’ve imaged in the past and am just adding more exposure to it. Comet ZTF (C/2022 E3) is approaching Earth for a close encounter on Feb. 1st. Right now, it is easily seen in binoculars in the area between the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper. It doesn’t get high enough until nearly midnight, MST. The press has been promoting this a lot as a “the green comet”. Comets in general glow green when near the sun so this one is not unusual at all. What is unusual is the anti-tail, the comet appears to have 3 tails now, the dust tail, ion tail, and an anti-tail. It will continue to brighten and should be easy to see in another 2-3 weeks.
