Comet Lovejoy (C/2014 Q2) as it appeared Saturday night, January 10, 2015 as it was moving north into Taurus. Here is it west of the Hyades and Aldebaran (at left) and below the Pleiades (at upper left). The comet was easy to see naked eye from a dark site though it was not obvious as a comet - it appeared as a fuzzy star. The ion tail here was barely visible in binoculars. This is a stack of 4 x 1-minute exposures with the 35mm at f/2 on the Canon 60Da at ISO 1600. Tracked on the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer. Shot from the City of Rocks State Park, New Mexico. Some high clouds were drifting through, adding some fuzzy patches to the sky. However, the dark patch at the left edge is cosmic — that is part of the dark Taurus dust clouds.
Comet Wirtanen 46P in Taurus: below the Pleiades (M45), and to the west (right) of the Hyades with yellow Aldebaran at bottom. The California Nebula in Perseus is at top, as are the Taurus Dark Clouds. The comet was nearly at its closest point to Earth and at its brightest. This is a stack of 5 x 2-minute exposures with the Sigma 50mm lens at f/2.8 and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 800, on the Star Adventurer tracker, taken December 14/15 as the skies cleared in the Chinook winds of southern Alberta. Star glows added with Orton effect in Luminar.
The northern spring constellations of Corona Borealis at left, and Boötes at right, with the bright star Arcturus at bottom. Some stars of Canes Venatici are at far right. This is a stack of 7 x 2-minute exposures with the 50mm Sigma lens at f/2.8 and Canon 6D MkII at ISO 800, on the iOptron SkyGuider Pro tracker. An exposure through the Kenko Softon A filter layered in adds the star glows. Taken on a very clear night April 24, 2020.
