A Comet and Two Dippers
This week the comet C/2022 E3 ZTF moves faster in the sky as it flies to the closest point to Earth (which reaches on February 1st). For northerners the position of the comet in the sky cannot be better: You can easily find it between two large asterisms, the Big and Little Dippers (from constellations Big and Small Bears). The comet reached the threshold of visibility to the naked eye, however nicer is in a small telescope, In the photographs, you can note a more than 10-degree-long tail with some prominent structures. This is how I captured the comet this morning (January 26, 2023) from the High Tatras, nearby Popradské Pleso. Used Canon 6D, Sigma 35mm, f3.2, ISO 5000, 90x30s (foreground) and Canon Ra, Tamron 70-200mm@154mm, f2.8, ISO 3200, 60x30s (stacked on a comet), sky and comet tracked from Vixen GP-2 mount (detail of comet on 200mm) and Vixen Polarie U mount (wide angle view on 35mm), Optolong Clear Sky Filter.
A Comet and Two Dippers – Annotated
