Coma, also known as “comatic aberration”, is a type of optical aberration that results in off-axis points of light appearing comet-shaped. As light rays from the edges of the frame pass through various parts of a spherical surface, they vary in magnification, creating a series of asymmetr...
In the past, I have written about my thoughts on using a refractor for astrophotography and that I think it is the best choice to get started in deep-sky astrophotography. Modern refractor/refracting telescopes come in two styles: achromatic and apochromatic. Each of these styles is designed ...
Initially, he believed it to be a comet, but ongoing observations showed that it had no coma. This led Piazzi to consider that the object he had found - which he named "Ceres" after the Roman goddess of the harvest and patron of Sicily - could, in fact, be a planet. Fifteen months ...
The constellation of Coma Berenices will be visible high in the southern sky during mid-May. (Image credit: Chris Vaughan/Starry Night) The constellation of Coma Berenices, or Berenice's Hair, is composed of three medium-bright stars arranged as a right-angle triangle. In the evenings during...
A good 90mm refractor is worth your consideration, depending on the light pollution in your area. My AT92 is my most commonly used scope. A C5 or C6 with a focal reducer would be my second recommendation. A 6 inch collapsible dob would be another option, if you can find a coma correct...
Page 1 of 3 - What type of telescope for beginners? - posted in Beginners Forum (No Astrophotography): This is my 2nd go round with astronomy, first 25 years ago with my son, I purchased a 50 mm refractor at the local hobby shop, no clue what brand, it
The comet we see is sunlight being reflected from the gas and dust in the coma and tails – the nucleus itself is hidden from sight. A comet's brightness, therefore, is typically determined by three things: the size of the nucleus: a bigger nucleus typically means a larger active area (...
The Meade LS6 is about as bad as it gets for some branches of astrophotography, most notably deep sky, which is what you'd do with a DSLR. It is on an alt az mount so it tracks the sky but has the object rotate in the field as it does so. You need an equatorial mount for de...
“This is looking awesome! Now all we have to do it get it into space!” As the comet is warmed by the sun, some of the components of the comet start to liven up, vaporize and vent out into a cloud (coma) around the core of the comet (nucleus), which can then be blasted away...
Page 1 of 2 - New to Viewing, What Can I See? - posted in Beginners Forum (No Astrophotography): Hi everyone, this is my first post on the forums and Id like a little bit of help as Ive just bought my first telescope. I bought an Apetura AD6 which is