Celestial

Comet C/2011 L4 PanSTARRS - March 2013

Artist: Brian Morganti

Comet C/2011 L4 probably took millions of years to come from the Oort cloud. After leaving the planetary region of the Solar System, the post-perihelion orbital period (epoch 2050) is estimated to be roughly 106,000 years!

When the comet reached perihelion in March 2013, the actual peak magnitude turned out to be around +1, as estimated by various observers all over the world. However, the low altitude of the comet over the horizon made these estimates difficult and subject to significant uncertainties, both because of the lack of suitable reference stars in the area and the need for differential atmospheric extinction corrections. As of mid March 2013, due the brightness of twilight and low elevation in the sky, the comet is best seen in binoculars about 40 minutes after sunset.

I took this photo on March 14, 2013 at 8:16pm EDT - 200mm @ f5.6 w/2x extender attached - 8 second exposure + 1 stop exposure compensation - ISO 2500.

031313CometPanSTARRSSunsetMorgantiBrian MorgantiCometsCometComet Tail