Comet C/2012 F6 Lemmon

May.23 2013

I’ve been imaging Comet Lemmon the last week or so. There’s only about 1/2 hour of imaging time available each day just before dawn. At about 4:00 AM Comet Lemmon is 20 degrees or so off the eastern horizon and just barely imageable until about 4:30 when the sun starts to rise. I’ve been experimenting with a few different imaging strategies and found that a single frame 2-3 minute LRGB seems to have the best results. If there were more time I could capture a deeper exposure, but 1/2 hour doesn’t really allow for enough time.

Here are the best images of the comet I’ve captured over the last week.

Comet C/2012 F6 Lemmon – May 23rd, 2013 – Two minute exposure each of LRGB

Comet C/2012 F6 Lemmon – May 21st, 2013 – Two minute exposure each of LRGB

Comet C/2012 F6 Lemmon – May 20th, 2013 – Two minute exposure each of LRGB

Comet C/2012 F6 Lemmon – May 19th, 2013 – Three minute exposure each of LRGB

Photo Details

Comet C/2012 F6 Lemmon
LRGB 2x2x2x2 Minutes Each
Total exposure: 8 Minutes
Camera: Apogee U16M
Guider: Not Guided
Telescope: RCOS 14.5
Mount: Paramount ME
Location: Auberry, CA
Date: May 19-May 23 2013
Software: The SkyX, MaximDL, FocusMax, CCDStack, Photoshop