Comet C2006 M4 (Swan)

Comet C2006 M4 (Swan) swung by the sun in the fall of 2006 on a hyperbolic orbit that will eventually fling it out of the Solar System. Closet approach to Earth was on October 26, 2006 where it was at a distance of 1 AU (astronomical unit) and on the nights of October 23/24, the comet exhibited an outburst which increased its visual magnitude to about 4.5, which made it an easily observable naked eye object in dark skies.

Image Specifications:

     •  Instrument:  Takahashi FS-102 Refractor (820mm - f/8) with 0.8x Televue Reducer
     •  Camera:  Canon 20Da
     •  Filters:  Hutech IDAS LPS (Light Pollution)
     •  Mount:  Losmandy GM-8 Equatorial
     •  Guiding:  None
     •  Time / Date :  October 9, 2006, 8:00pm EST
     •  Location:  Coyle Field, NJ
     •  Weather:  Clear, 70degF
     •  Primary Exposure :  15 x 60sec, ISO 1600, RAW, average combined
     •  Calibration Frames:  10 x 60sec, ISO 1600, RAW, average combined
     •  Image Processing :  Images Plus, Photoshop CS2, NoiseNinja