S.R.: 46P/Wirtanen Hunting by Alex P.
First time published: 2018Dec10
updates follows below
It's Christmas time and new year is coming, all roads in towns and windows of shops have at least one comet, a star with a tail. This year not only on ground but also in the sky there is a Comet: 46P/Wirtanen.
Not a great name, like Halley (1P/Halley) or Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1), but better than others, like those here below.
Comets, by Wikipedia definition:
They are very rare, they can return or just go far away, and their origin is unknown as theirs chemical composition. Yup, ask to the scientific team of the mission ROSETTA!
My connections with comets started in my childhood, when in 1986 1/P Halley passed, and my parents has collected for some articles and showed some tv program, but mostly to a fantastic 3D paper book that my Granny and Grandpa had brought from the U.S.A.. I'm a very lucky child...
Also for a decade, I have my digital camera and I'm a very active Astro-amateur collaborating with many clubs/observatory near home (see sources below), so comets are one of my most common target and which I'm also quite good to catch with my "basic" instruments. No I will not tell you here how to do, but if, a day, you will join me in stargazing, you will learn something (or you can engage me, my sailing photographer activities have always needs of funds...).
The condition was limited, already for some high/medium clouds layers, mostly by orographic vortex, but the part of sky I had needed was clear. The comet as reported on my app was in a very uncomfortable zone, without big stars as reference. Light pollution doesn't help my eyes to be very open, as you can see here below.
After sometime of aiming, I could find a small wad in the sky, already green even in the blur fog made by the clouds. Good, let's go longer. Time to change lens to the 200[mm] and the sky was overcast!!! Damn!!!
Ok go home, I did the first attempt, you will try again next.
Just to note how was crazy the thermodynamic in the atmosphere that night:
Also the comet has moved and it's a bit easier aiming to it.
Thanks to the "training" done the first day, find it and shoot it has been faster, and the first hour was gone with some good shots. Not too many, just enough to start to work at home, better keeps the memory and shutter counter for the best moment.
Later in the morning I started to work on, and after preparation of files I started to stack them. Bang!!!
The software I use doesn't work, or better it works but it crops the result leaving out the comet. What a strange, Lynkeos it's "old" but it's stable. Ok this is the new MacBook Pro 2017, let's try on the old one from 2009. It's works.
Never mind, old man, old software old machine... and the result is:
Really not bad for a tiny comet.
Because the condition were quite good, I've turned my attention to some other objects, always
The result is:
Again for a shooting without motorised mount, it's quite good!!!
Next target, another loved asterism: Pleiades!!! They are blu zaffiro
Uhmm I'm pushing to much my expectations: light pollution is killing everything, they need a better sky.
To understand how is dramatic the situation (evolved drastically in the last decade) here below I put a panoramic view of the valley.
Even if Lombardia is the first region to have already a strong legislation to prevent it and new streets light are doing their job, now the night sky has been killed!!!
update 2018Dec15 22:15L: clouds layer exactly in front to the comet!
Nothing for tonight
update 2019Jun06 15:50L: missed in the time
updates follows below
Not a great name, like Halley (1P/Halley) or Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1), but better than others, like those here below.
![2013March15: Comet C/2011 L4 PanStarrs from Pertus Pass - finally a clear sky day, after the snow changed the panorama, the perielium is just passed 3 days ago - stacked 36 images 200[mm] copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri](https://photos.smugmug.com/Portfolio/Astronomy/i-xQQBCvr/0/18cfb403/XL/2013Mar15_Pertus_C2011L4-PanStarrs_006-XL.jpg "2013March15: Comet C/2011 L4 PanStarrs from Pertus Pass - finally a clear sky day, after the snow changed the panorama, the perielium is just passed 3 days ago - stacked 36 images 200[mm] copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri") |
| 2013March15: Comet C/2011 L4 PanStarrs from Pertus Pass - finally a clear sky day, after the snow changed the panorama, the perielium is just passed 3 days ago - stacked 36 images 200[mm] copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri |
![2013April14: Comet C/2011 L4 PanStarrs from Lago Pertus - shot directly from telescope: SkyWatcher Newton 200x1000[mm] with Canon eos 500d, 40 images copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri](https://photos.smugmug.com/Portfolio/Astronomy/i-gBkvMVq/0/017d4caf/XL/2013Apr14_Pertus_SkyAstro_003-XL.jpg "2013April14: Comet C/2011 L4 PanStarrs from Lago Pertus - shot directly from telescope: SkyWatcher Newton 200x1000[mm] with Canon eos 500d, 40 images copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri") |
| 2013April14: Comet C/2011 L4 PanStarrs from Lago Pertus - shot directly from telescope: SkyWatcher Newton 200x1000[mm] with Canon eos 500d, 40 images copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri |
 |
| 2013Nov16: C/2012 S1 ISON from Valcava Pass , the only morning with clear sky during its transition copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri |
Comets, by Wikipedia definition:
A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process called outgassing. This produces a visible atmosphere or coma, and sometimes also a tail.or for some astronomers Comets are like Cats, we love watch them, but they have their world and rules.
They are very rare, they can return or just go far away, and their origin is unknown as theirs chemical composition. Yup, ask to the scientific team of the mission ROSETTA!
My connections with comets started in my childhood, when in 1986 1/P Halley passed, and my parents has collected for some articles and showed some tv program, but mostly to a fantastic 3D paper book that my Granny and Grandpa had brought from the U.S.A.. I'm a very lucky child...
Also for a decade, I have my digital camera and I'm a very active Astro-amateur collaborating with many clubs/observatory near home (see sources below), so comets are one of my most common target and which I'm also quite good to catch with my "basic" instruments. No I will not tell you here how to do, but if, a day, you will join me in stargazing, you will learn something (or you can engage me, my sailing photographer activities have always needs of funds...).
Day 1: 2018 Dec. 01
Leaving in Lombardia, near Bergamo and so to Milano, the sky is not good (it's really a milky sky nowadays), there are few place where to do astrophotography. When I can I go down to the Côte d'Azur where the sky it's really better (there are 2 cites of the O.C.A and in a couple of hours, in summer, it's possible to be at 3000[m]amsl).The condition was limited, already for some high/medium clouds layers, mostly by orographic vortex, but the part of sky I had needed was clear. The comet as reported on my app was in a very uncomfortable zone, without big stars as reference. Light pollution doesn't help my eyes to be very open, as you can see here below.
 |
| 2018Dec01: Location starting view: Valcava pass and its TV-Telecommunication Antenne copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri |
After sometime of aiming, I could find a small wad in the sky, already green even in the blur fog made by the clouds. Good, let's go longer. Time to change lens to the 200[mm] and the sky was overcast!!! Damn!!!
Ok go home, I did the first attempt, you will try again next.
Just to note how was crazy the thermodynamic in the atmosphere that night:
- leaving home T=4.5[°C] elev.=300[m], mid mountain village T=6[°C] elev.=800[m], place of shooting T=8.5[°C] elev.=1340[m];
- leaving the top T=7[°C] elev.=1340[m], mid mountain village T=5[°C] elev.=800[m], arrive at home T=2.5[°C] elev.=300[m] and NO FOG (normally with an inverted gradient the Pianura Padana is full of fog).
And still someone says that the GLOBAL WARMING IS FANTASY...
 |
| 2018Dec01: First attempt, useful to test/refresh the setup copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri |
Day 2: 2018 Dec. 04
Even if was forecasted strong wind, the sky, once on top, has showed a very crisp condition, well light pollution is NOT DISAPPEAR!! but no clouds, better low humidity, wind calm.Also the comet has moved and it's a bit easier aiming to it.
 |
| 2018Dec04: Location starting view: Valcava pass and its TV-Telecommunication Antenne copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri |
 |
| 2018Dec04: screenshot of the app on iPad: SkySafary PRO 5 copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri |
Thanks to the "training" done the first day, find it and shoot it has been faster, and the first hour was gone with some good shots. Not too many, just enough to start to work at home, better keeps the memory and shutter counter for the best moment.
 |
| 2018Dec04: a step of the searching (the comet is just below the space between my name and surname) copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri |
 |
| 2018Dec04: a step of the defining aiming point (the comet is just below the letter H of copyrights) copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri |
Later in the morning I started to work on, and after preparation of files I started to stack them. Bang!!!
The software I use doesn't work, or better it works but it crops the result leaving out the comet. What a strange, Lynkeos it's "old" but it's stable. Ok this is the new MacBook Pro 2017, let's try on the old one from 2009. It's works.
znznznznz
I censure my self on what I think of the new versions of macOS....please Steve Jobs come back!!!
Never mind, old man, old software old machine... and the result is:
 |
| 2018Dec04: Final Image, stacked result of 24 shots with Lynkeos and final photo-edit with Aperture3.x and NikSoftware copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri |
Really not bad for a tiny comet.
Because the condition were quite good, I've turned my attention to some other objects, always
"CARPE DIEM"So first, my love Orion, uhmm one shot and the pinnacle of dust it's already there, ok lets do some other to stack later.
 |
| 2018Dec04: Orion Nebulae M42 or NGC1976 first attempt, the light pollution kills all possible red hydrogen with purple sky copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri |
 |
| 2018Dec04: Orion Nebulae M42 or NGC1976, stacked result of 22 shots copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri |
Again for a shooting without motorised mount, it's quite good!!!
Next target, another loved asterism: Pleiades!!! They are blu zaffiro
 |
| 2018Dec04: Pleiades copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri |
Uhmm I'm pushing to much my expectations: light pollution is killing everything, they need a better sky.
To understand how is dramatic the situation (evolved drastically in the last decade) here below I put a panoramic view of the valley.
Even if Lombardia is the first region to have already a strong legislation to prevent it and new streets light are doing their job, now the night sky has been killed!!!
And if L.E.D. light help to reduce consumption of Energy,
their blue-white intense light is even more terrible than before:We cannot filter this light!!!
 |
| 2018Dec04: clear effects of the light pollution (sky totally illuminated) and global warming (no heavy fog as should be in this period) copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri |
 |
| 2018Dec04: Photoedit heavily to bring back how should be a blue sky copyright © photo Alexander Panzeri |
SWITCH OFF THE LIGHT!!!
Day 3: 2018 Dec. 15
stay tuned!!!update 2018Dec15 22:15L: clouds layer exactly in front to the comet!
Nothing for tonight
update 2019Jun06 15:50L: missed in the time
update 2023Jun18 18:00L: d/t warning and takeout of Google Photo Archive from Google (probably old stuff from Google+), I found that this report was in hold for some kind review, however I go to republish and share on social.
Sources:
Alex's Main Comet Gallery: http://bit.ly/2SS5jl5
Alex's Astronomy Portfolio: http://bit.ly/2RDkIop
Wikipedia 46P/Wirtanen: http://bit.ly/2QMQ3bA
EarthSky website: http://bit.ly/2LhvsHe
ESA Rosetta: http://bit.ly/2Lk3M4L
Polimi Rosetta Philae, or better my prof.ssa Amalia Ercoli Finzi: http://bit.ly/2LiCeN2
Wikipedia Rosetta: http://bit.ly/2Ln8dvG
La Torre del Sole: http://www.latorredelsole.it
Gruppo Astrofili Deepspace - Lecco: http://www.deepspace.it
Circolo Astrofili bergamasco: http://www.astrobg.it
Associazione Stellaria: http://www.astroperinaldo.it
O.C.A. Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur: https://www.oca.eu/fr/
Planetario di Milano: http://bit.ly/2CfPuPw
I.N.A.F. Brera (Milano e Merate): http://www.brera.inaf.it
Sources:
Alex's Main Comet Gallery: http://bit.ly/2SS5jl5
Alex's Astronomy Portfolio: http://bit.ly/2RDkIop
Wikipedia 46P/Wirtanen: http://bit.ly/2QMQ3bA
EarthSky website: http://bit.ly/2LhvsHe
ESA Rosetta: http://bit.ly/2Lk3M4L
Polimi Rosetta Philae, or better my prof.ssa Amalia Ercoli Finzi: http://bit.ly/2LiCeN2
Wikipedia Rosetta: http://bit.ly/2Ln8dvG
La Torre del Sole: http://www.latorredelsole.it
Gruppo Astrofili Deepspace - Lecco: http://www.deepspace.it
Circolo Astrofili bergamasco: http://www.astrobg.it
Associazione Stellaria: http://www.astroperinaldo.it
O.C.A. Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur: https://www.oca.eu/fr/
Planetario di Milano: http://bit.ly/2CfPuPw
I.N.A.F. Brera (Milano e Merate): http://www.brera.inaf.it
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