|
Although Comet
Ikeya-Zhang is approaching our planet, it is also fading as it recedes
from the Sun. Astronomer Clay Sherrod reports on April 18 that "Ikeya-Zhang
is just visible to the naked eye and has dimmed almost one-half magnitude
since April 12." Nevertheless, there's still time to see
the comet before it vanishes. Get up before dawn any morning this
week or next and look north near the W-shaped constellation Cassiopeia;
the comet is a fuzzy blob about as bright
as a 4th magnitude star.
|
Spaceweather.com
wishes to thank all those who submitted to the Comet Ikeya-Zhang
gallery! The comet is now fading, and the gallery is now closed
to submissions.
|
 |
|
|
Unless
otherwise stated, all images are copyrighted by the photographers.
| |
Photographer, Location,
Date |
Larger images |
Comments |
|
|
Kris
Koenig,
Glens Falls, New York
April 1 |
#1 |
An image of Comet Ikeya-Zhang taken
by Kris Koenig at the Kiwanis Chico Community Observatory on April
1, 2002. The image represents a 1.5 minute exposure, taken with
a 50mm camera lens at f/2. |
|
|
John
E Cordiale,
Glens Falls, New York
April 1 |
#1,
#2 |
John Cordiale: "I took my daughter
out to see the comet last night.She said to me, " Is it the thing
with the long thing behind it?" I said "Yes." She said very enthusiastically,
" Cool !". I took these quick pics on with a SONY DSC F707 5 Megapixel
camera with 2.0 Carl Zeiss lens." |
|
|
Jerry
Zhu,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
April 1 |
#1 |
Jerry Zhu: "A photo of Ikeya-Zhang
and M31 I took tonight, from Pittsburgh, PA. M31 can be seen as
a faint, small patch to the center right. Light pollution was
severe and there was some haze. Taken with Nikon Coolpix 995 digital
camera, 60 second exposure on a tripod, F2.6, set to ISO 800 with
noise reduction." |
|
|
Alex
Ivie,
Northwest Arkansas
April 1 |
#1 |
Alex Ivie took this nice digital
photo from his front yard, in Arkansas, on April 1st. |
|
|
Juha
Kinnunen,
Konginkangas, Finland
March 31 |
#1 |
This image of the comet was sent
by Jula Kinnunen of Finland. Taken with a Nikkor camera with 28mm
lens at f/1.4 and Fuji Provia 400 film. |
|
|
Calvin
Hall,
Glens Falls, New York
March 29, 30,
31 |
#1,
#2, #3 |
A beautiful series of images by
renowned astrophotographer Calvin Hall. Taken over three nights,
they reveal Comet Ikeya-Zhang complimented by the Aurora Borealis.
The three images also show the progression of the comet relative
to the stars. |
|
|
Mark
Hoffmeyer,
Anchorage, Alaska
March 31 |
#1,
#2, #3 |
Mark Hoffmeyer: "Easter Sunday
closed out beautifully - About 10:30 pm local time, the static
green aurora band exploded with brightness and movement. Comet
Ikeya-Zhang enhances the beauty of the moonless sky. I caught
these with a Minolta X700, 50mm F1.7 lens on Fuji 400 film." |
|
|
Jimmy
Westlake,
Yampa, Colorado
March 30,
31 |
#1,
#2, #3,
#4, #5,
#6 |
Jimmy Westlake: "Comet I-Z
strongly resembles Comet Halley to me when it was at its best
in the morning sky of early March 1986. Both sported tails extended
about 10-degrees to the unaided eye and appeared about 3rd magnitude...What
a great spring comet surprise!" |
|
|
John
Kemp,
Canterbury, UK
March 30 |
#1 |
John Kemp of Canterbury sent us
this image of Ikeya-Zhang, taken with a 10-inch reflector at f/4.3,
and 1600 ISO slide film. The image was a 60-second exposure. |
|
|
Tone
Spenko,
Slovenia
March 27-30 |
#1 |
A beautiful composite from Slovenia,
showing Comet Ikeya-Zhang's evolution over three nights. The image
from March 30th shows the comet near the bright star Beta Andromedae
(Mirach), and small galaxy NGC 404. |
|
|
Tom
Teters,
Northern Colorado
March 30 |
#1 |
Tom Teters: "Next to Mirach,
the comet's tail seems to have diminished somewhat. This is a
10 sec. ST-6 exposure at 7:34pm MDT through a Stellarvue 80mm.
I only had time to take about 10 exposures before the comet and
Mirach disappeared behind a cloud bank." |
|
|
John
Kemp,
Canterbury, UK
March 30 |
#1 |
John Kemp of Canterbury sends this
beautiful image of the comet, taken with a 10-inch reflector and
Starlight Xpress MX7 CCD camera. A 15-second exposure. |
back
to spaceweather.com |
