Starship Asterisk*

Comet Garradd and the Coat Hanger

Explanation: Sweeping through planet Earth's night sky, last weekend Comet Garradd (C/2009 P1) visited this lovely star field along the Milky Way in the constellation Vulpecula. Suggestively oriented, the colorful skyscape features stars in the asterism known as the Coat Hanger with the comet's tail pointing toward the southeast. Also known as Al Sufi's Cluster, the Coat Hanger itself is likely just a chance alignment and not a cluster of related stars. But compact open star cluster NGC 6802 does grace the field of view just right of the Coat Hanger, near the edge of the frame. Below naked eye visibility but approaching 7th magnitude in brightness, Comet Garradd has been a good target for binoculars and small telescopes. Still, bright moonlit skies this week will make the comet harder to spot.

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So... Comet Garradd is still 'hanging' around. I hope it doesn't get 'hung' up.

That's a very beautiful image! It is by master astrophotographer Rogelio Bernal Andreo, too!

Ann

Congratulations Rogelio, is a very interesting picture, and it's great this new APOD.
Greetings.
César

Very nice! Gonna make a nice background.

Does the comet have multiple heads or are those background stars that just make it look that way?

Mikey wrote:Does the comet have multiple heads or are those background stars that just make it look that way?

Once a comet becomes active (that is, it has a coma), the nucleus is invisible- completely hidden by evaporating gas and dust. So every point source you see in an image like this is a background star. The comet has only a single head.

The APOD text refers to the time of the image vaguely as "last weekend," but typical of a comet, C/2009 P1 (Garradd) is moving somewhat quickly with respect to the background stars, so it's in a noticeably different position every night (in a telescope, the motion can be detected in less than an hour). I was observing the comet last weekend and this nice view is familiar. It looks like the picture was taken on Friday evening, September 2, 2011, probably around 10:00 pm PDT (or 05:00 UT on September 3).

Joe Stieber wrote:It looks like the picture was taken on Friday evening, September 2, 2011, probably around 10:00 pm PDT (or 05:00 UT on September 3).

Correct! Friday, September 2nd, between 9:45pm (PDT) and 12:22am

Cheers!
Rogelio

PS: Ann, I'm your #1 fan

Rogelio Bernal Andreo wrote:

Ann, I'm your #1 fan

Thanks a million, Rogelio, but I think it's the other way round!

Ann

The Comet Garradd has many colors.
The stars of the Al Sulfi´s Cluster look like a line.
It´s a handsome image.

@ ANN {without an "e"} Golly, Ann, Rogelio wrote that he is your number one fan. For a long time, I thought I occupied that spot. Anywho==I will settle for #2. Thanx.













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@ ROGELIO For the position of Ann' #1 fan, I challenge you to a duel with light sabers from Walmart. Bring your camera==your pix are superb.

islader2 wrote:@ ROGELIO For the position of Ann' #1 fan, I challenge you to a duel with light sabers from Walmart. Bring your camera==your pix are superb.

If I accepted and you beat me, you'd prove you're better at Walmat's saber light duels, not a bigger fan
I'd just stick to do the fan thing