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Astronomy Picture of the Day - Galaxies and a Comet
NASA ^ | 20 Oct, 2023 | Image Credit & Copyright: Dan Bartlett

Posted on 10/20/2023 7:20:11 PM PDT by MtnClimber

Explanation: Galaxies abound in this sharp telescopic image recorded on October 12 in dark skies over June Lake, California. The celestial scene spans nearly 2 degrees within the boundaries of the well-trained northern constellation Canes Venatici. Prominent at the upper left 23.5 million light-years distant is big, beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 4258, known to some as Messier 106. Eye-catching edge-on spiral NGC 4217 is above and right of center about 60 million light-years away. Just passing through the pretty field of view is comet C/2023 H2 Lemmon, discovered last April in image data from the Mount Lemmon Survey. Here the comet sports more of a lime green coma though, along with a faint, narrow ion tail stretching toward the top of the frame. This visitor to the inner Solar System is presently less than 7 light-minutes away and still difficult to spot with binoculars, but it's growing brighter. Comet C/2023 H2 Lemmon will reach perihelion, its closest point to the Sun, on October 29 and perigee, its closest to our fair planet, on November 10 as it transitions from morning to evening northern skies.


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; nasa; telescopehelp
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To be added or removed from the Astronomy Picture of the Day ping list please send me a request via "Private Reply" (Mail).

For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.

1 posted on 10/20/2023 7:20:11 PM PDT by MtnClimber
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To: MtnClimber

2 posted on 10/20/2023 7:20:32 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of Colorado scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: 21stCenturion; 21twelve; 4everontheRight; abb; AFB-XYZ; AFPhys; Agatsu77; America_Right; ...
Pinging the APOD list.

🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔


3 posted on 10/20/2023 7:21:33 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of Colorado scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

Very Cool- i always wanted a telescope-


4 posted on 10/20/2023 7:26:00 PM PDT by Bob434
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To: MtnClimber

I just turned 62, but images like this fill me with all the wonder and awe of a little kid.


5 posted on 10/20/2023 7:55:55 PM PDT by AFB-XYZ (Two options: 1) Stand up, or 2) Bend over)
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To: MtnClimber

Bookmark


6 posted on 10/20/2023 7:58:56 PM PDT by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: MtnClimber

Thanks!


7 posted on 10/20/2023 8:12:41 PM PDT by cabojoe ( 🇺🇸 Stop Ukie censorship. Release Gonzalo Lira)
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To: Bob434
At +10.5 magnitude, it’s going to be kind of difficult to see. I would recommend searching out a local astronomy club, perhaps they might be able to help you see it. If you really want to get a telescope, please please PLEASE don’t waste your money on a “ department store” telescope. They’re junk. Better to get simple star charts and a pair of binoculars (maybe you even have one already). You can find star charts on line and print them out for free. Sky and Telescope and Astronomy magazines have been around forever. You can check them out. Also, this man’s videos on YouTube, especially for beginners-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IlmekWsEAQ&list=PLZaCzI_mVt-qhzZcIbCONUHVmChyCBCpz Hope this helps…
8 posted on 10/20/2023 8:19:27 PM PDT by telescope115 (I NEED MY SPACE!!! 🔭)
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To: Bob434

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IlmekWsEAQ&list=PLZaCzI_mVt-qhzZcIbCONUHVmChyCBCpz


9 posted on 10/20/2023 8:22:22 PM PDT by telescope115 (I NEED MY SPACE!!! 🔭)
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To: telescope115

I do have a 50-500 lens for my camera (which translates to 800mm when used on a crop sensor camera) which gets fairly detailed photos of the moon- but it’s not quite powerful enough


10 posted on 10/20/2023 8:25:59 PM PDT by Bob434
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To: telescope115

thanks for the link- I’ll watch it tomorrow- too late now


11 posted on 10/20/2023 8:26:58 PM PDT by Bob434
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To: Bob434

I’m planning on getting a dslr next year. I have three telescopes now. I want to try taking pictures of the Moon, too. If I get a dslr, I’m gonna need a lens for it, too.


12 posted on 10/20/2023 8:55:25 PM PDT by telescope115 (I NEED MY SPACE!!! 🔭)
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To: telescope115

What’s a dsir?


13 posted on 10/21/2023 4:08:56 AM PDT by FroggyTheGremlim (Plunk your magic twanger, Froggy!)
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To: FroggyTheGremlim

Digital
Single
Lens
Reflex

(Camera)


14 posted on 10/21/2023 5:50:22 AM PDT by BBB333 (The Power Of Trump Compels You!)
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To: telescope115

This has a moon function:

https://www.amazon.com/Nikon-COOLPIX-P1000-Digital-Camera/dp/B07F5HPXK4/ref=sr_1_11?crid=8RJZF1ACL49H&keywords=coolpix%2B1000&qid=1697892521&sprefix=coolpix%2B1000%2Caps%2C328&sr=8-11&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.2b70bf2b-6730-4ccf-ab97-eb60747b8daf&th=1


15 posted on 10/21/2023 5:50:49 AM PDT by BBB333 (The Power Of Trump Compels You!)
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To: FroggyTheGremlim

Sorry. DSLR- digital single lens reflex camera….
My last post before bed🙄


16 posted on 10/21/2023 5:51:55 AM PDT by telescope115 (I NEED MY SPACE!!! 🔭)
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To: BBB333

WOW, nice! It’s a little over my budget, I am looking at this one, it has some astronomy features as well.

https://www.amazon.com/Pentax-K-70-Weather-Sealed-Camera-Black/dp/B01GHVIU70?th=1

Of course, I’ll have to get a lens as well.


17 posted on 10/21/2023 6:12:26 AM PDT by telescope115 (I NEED MY SPACE!!! 🔭)
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To: telescope115

Hook that up to a telescope and WOW!


18 posted on 10/21/2023 6:26:55 AM PDT by BBB333 (The Power Of Trump Compels You!)
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To: telescope115

You can get a cheaper lens because the telescope will be doing all the magnifying, so you camera lens won’t have to,be a massively expensive 9ne- but I would invest in a prime lens, as they give the best clearest images. Maybe pick,up a used one. Keh.com has some great deals on used- adorama does as well. Both are quality sites. You can even pick up camera and lens combos there for a good price. A good full frame camera with prime lens is the way to go as the combo ca5ches more detail than other cameras with smaller sensors.


19 posted on 10/21/2023 6:56:06 AM PDT by Bob434
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To: Bob434

Thanks for the tips! I am looking at getting a package deal, the Pentax has some great features for astronomy, and some great lenses as well. I’m fine with the cropped sensor, as I plan on doing lunar and planetary photography. My main scope is a Stellarvue 115 f/7 on a Losmandy gm8. Should be good for planetary and lunar, but I think a bigger mount would be better for deep sky.
The skies around here aren’t the greatest, so I’m going for brighter targets.

A committed digital camera and software would be great if money weren’t an object, but I would have to buy a new computer, well I’m sure you get the idea- costs can get, wall, sky high. 😮🔭


20 posted on 10/21/2023 7:13:49 AM PDT by telescope115 (I NEED MY SPACE!!! 🔭)
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