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The 3towers Observatory: Comets & Asteroids |
These 3towers Observatory comet and asteroid images were taken
on a 12-inch LX 200 telescope using a focal reducer at f/6.5
with an Apogee KX260 CCD camera or an
Apogee AP7 CCD
camera running under
MaxIm DL/CCD.
The black and white images vary from single 30 second exposures
to images produced by adding two or more one-minute exposures
together using a median routine in
Mira or
MaxIM DL/CCD.
The color images were taken with the Apogee AP7 CCD and an
ISIS FW1 Filter Wheel containing Red (R), Green (V), Blue
(B), Infrared (I), and Clear Photometeric filters. They are
composites of multiple individual 30-60 sec red (R), green (V),
blue (B), and clear (CL) exposures added together to make final
tri-color CCD images. In general, the only image processing used
is bias and dark subtraction, flat fielding, and contrast
stretching. Compare these images obtained with a Meade 12-inch
LX 200 telescope operating at approximately f/6.5 with those
from the Grasslands Observatory (24-inch f/5
telescope at a dark sky site). It is amazing what a relatively
modest sized telescope at a suburban location can achieve using
good imaging equipment and software.
All images are oriented with the North at the top and the West
to the right. |
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Object |
Other Names |
3towers Observatory Images |
Comments |
| Comet Kudo-Fujikawa |
C/2002 X5 |
Image obtained at the 3towers Observatory 31 December 02
~13:00 UT. |
This image is a composite of 60-sec red (R), 60-sec
green (V), 90-sec blue (B), and 60-sec clear (CL)
exposures added together to make a tri-color CCD image.
It was obtained with a 12-inch LX 200 telescope and an
Apogee AP7 CCD camera with an Isis FW 1 filter wheel. |
| Comet Linear |
C/2000 A2 |
 |
Image obtained at the 3towers Observatory on April 9,
2001. |
| Comet Linear on 10-11 November 2001 |
C/2000 WM1 |
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| Comet Linear on 23 March 2002 at 12:00 hrs UT |
C/2000 WM1 |
 |
This image is a composite of 30-sec red (R), 30-sec
green (V), 60-sec blue (B), and 60-sec clear (CL)
exposures added together to make a tri-color CCD image.
It was obtained with a 12-inch LX 200 telescope and an
Apogee AP7 CCD camera with an Isis FW 1 filter wheel. |
| Comet McNaught-Hartley |
C/1999 T-1 |
 |
14 Jan 2001
4 Feb 2001
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| Comet Neat on !9 January 2003 at ~3:00 hrs UT |
C/2002 V1 |
 |
This image is a composite of 60-sec red (R), 60-sec
green (V), two 60-sec blue (B), and 60-sec Open
exposures added together to make a tri-color CCD image.
It was obtained with a 12-inch LX 200 telescope and an
Apogee AP7 CCD camera with an Isis FW 1 filter wheel. |
| Comet Neat - 12 May 2004 Comet |
C/2001 Q4 (NEAT) |
 |
This image was obtained in Tucson, Arizona, in partially
cloudy skies with a Nikon D100 digital camera and a
135mm f/3.5 lens, 5-second exposure. The image is not
oriented with the North to the top. |
| Comet Schaumasse |
24P/Schaumasse |
 |
The comet is very faint and is marked with a "^". This
image was obtained on 24 January 2001. It consists of
eleven 120 second exposures added together.
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Comet Schwassmann-Wachman 3
Fragment B - 28 April 2006 |
73P |
 |
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Comet Schwassmann-Wachman 3
Fragment C - 28 April 2006 |
73P |
 |
60-second exposure through a Clear filter. |
Comet Schwassmann-Wachman 3
Fragment C - 28 April 2006 |
73P |
 |
The comet was moving so fast that the individual color
images show shift of the comet's position between the
Red, Green (V), and Blue exposures. |
| Comet Snyder-Murakami on 18 March 2002 at 11:30 hrs UT |
C/2002 E2 |
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| Comet Utsunomiya on 23 March 2002 at 12:00 hrs UT |
C/2002 F1 |
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| Comet Utsunomiya-Jones |
C/2000 W1 |
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14 Jan 2001 |
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