Scope Diagram Astrocamera.Net - Astrophotography by Dave Kodama  

Mercury and Comet C/2002 F1 (Utsunomiya)


By coincidence Comet Utsunomiya passed very close to Mercury during this period of alignment of the planets. Unfortunately it is so dim, small, and buried in sunset glow that it is not visible in the wide angle shots. This photo was taken using a 4" Borg refractor approximately 1 day after the comet's closest separation from Mercury. Technical data:
Date:   04 May. 2002
Scope: Borg 100ED F6.4
Mount: Losmandy G11
Guider: SBIG STV / Borg 76ED @ F6.6
Camera: Planet Town 6x7 vacuum back camera
Film: Kodak PPF 400
Exposure: 10 minutes