Comet 17P/Holmes expanding (Dec 05, 2007)

clic for 30% size 1163 x 802 (425 kB)

clic here for 50% size 1938 x 1336 (1000 kB)


About this Image

A month later the unique comet 17P/Holmes still is expanding after it's extreme and unexpected outburst in late October.
The comet now is the biggest object in the solar system at a distance of now approx. 390 million km from our sun at a relative size of 60 arc min.

Through the comet's greatly expanded coma a lot of faint stars and some background galaxies to the right side are visible.
North is up.

 


Technical Details
Optics

16" cassegrain in corrected primary focus at f/3

Mount MK-100 GEM
Camera SBIG STL-11000M at -30C, internal filter wheel, for 16" cassegrain
Filters Astronomik LRGB
Date Nov 09, 2007 20 h UT.
Location Wildon/Austria
Sky Conditions mag 5.5 sky, good transparency, temperature 5 C
Exposure R:G:B = 1000:800:1000 sec (200 sec sub-exposures);
Processing Image aquisition and calibration in Maxim DL 4.65;
further processing in Photoshop;