Thursday, July 23, 2020

Comet C/2020 F3 Neowise

I got it finally, after one more un-recorded failed attempt, so after four failed attempts, I got it.


200mm f2.8 ISO 800 8s cropped, 23 frames stacked.

This is the first time I really took an image of a comet, and this is also the first time I really process the image of a comet.

Another version: 105mm f4 ISO1600 6s slightly cropped, 8 frames stacked.



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****************** Some more results pending..........

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Waiting for the sky to get darker.



Got it with my Canon 24-100mm f4.


And then I pulled out my Canon 200mm f2.8 to capture some more close up, while waiting, I took this selfie with my setup, 8kg total which includes:

Canon 70D
Canon 24-105mm f4
Canon 200mm f2.8
Velbon tripod
Sky adventurer
Canon 10x30 IS for visual observation


The comet tail was apparent with my Canon 10x30 IS, the site was very bright as shown in the above picture, and so I couldn't see the comet with naked eyes.  Actually, only a few stars could be seen with naked eyes.  But once it's located with the binoculars, it's easy to point at it.

Tuesday, July 21, 2020

Failed evening attempt on C/2020 F3 NEOWISE

We might see this comet in the evening sky, so I went to a nearby location to try.

The moment just before the sun went down behind a small hill top nearby, it was a bit cloudy.




Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Another failed attempt on C/2020 F3 NEOWISE

In order to avoid foggy weather, I went to another campsite (黃石營地) where we might be able to have a relatively clear East to NE horizon.  But since it's on the sea side, the temperature was much higher at 30 degree C inside the tent.

So, I couldn't sleep much and I woke up at around 4:00am myself before the alarm clock.

The first shot looked quite promising?


Here is my tent:


As time went by, more cloud came out.  I kept scanning around with my Canon 10x30 IS but then I saw nothing.






After the sun came out, I cooked a simple breakfast and left as soon as possible to avoid the hot weather.  I bought myself a cold drink while waiting for the bus.




A bonus shot of the milkway before sleeping, taken with a Canon 24mm f2.8 pancake lens, 14 shots stacked:


Friday, July 10, 2020

Failed attempt on C/2020 F3 NEOWISE

I planned a day off on 9/7 in order to prepare myself to capture the comet.

I will have to find a place where we might have a clear view of the East or NE, and since it will rise very early in the morning just before dawn.  

My first plan was in the East Dam of High Island Reservoir but then I couldn't setup a tent, and transportation is either expensive or I will need to walk for two hours.  So, I gave that up.

My second plan was in Tai Mo Shan where there's a campsite nearby the potential observation spot.  Therefore, I took the plunge to calculate whether the view would be clear:


And it seems feasible, so after dinner, I packed up my stuff and went out.  The sky was a bit cloudy but it's not without hope.  I arrived the bus station at around 23:15 waiting for the bus scheduled at around 23:25.


Armed with minimal camping setup, I've a just a tent and a small stove with a titanium cup for boiling water for the cup noodle breakfast tomorrow.  I also had a small bottle of Yakult.


Summer night was not too hot up there in the campsite, but it was super hot at home.


The humidity was very high, and it was very foggy with strong wind.  My half pitched tent was blew down.  I setup the alarm clock at around 4:30 and I have prepared myself to walk around 10 minutes to the observation spot.

On waking up, I heard some stepping sound around my tent.  There's no body around the campsite, anyway, on going out, I saw a cow plus super thick fog!  So, I gave up and sleep again.

At around 7:00, the cow was still there as well as the fog.



After short breakfast, I went to the observation spot to check whether my calculation is correct or not, but then it was full of fog!


I believe that it's no good to attempt any observation on the hill, here are some more shots during my morning walk:




Packed up my stuff and caught the bus on 9:00, and then back home for sleeping.

My stuff:


Canon 70D, a 24mm f2.8 lens, a 50mm f1.8 lens plus a 200mm f2.8 lens, a simple carbon fibre tripod and a pair of Canon 10x30 IS.

Some Chinese keywords:

荃錦營地
露營
夏天
彗星
白果之旅