Comet Lee (C/1999 H1)

September 12th, 1999 - 06:00 UTC
September 12th, 1999 - 10:00 UTC

 

These two images demonstrate how much a comet can move in a short amount of time. The first image I took around 11pm after the comet had risen enough to be visible, and the second around 3 pm shortly before I went to sleep.

The second image shows it's faint tail that points west. I believe that this is an "anti" tail meaing that it appears to point in the direction of the sun. Anti tails are caused by a combination of the solar wind, which does not blow straight away from the sun, and the viewer's perspective.

Although these images aren't exactly spectacular, they do give a fairly accurate impression of what the comet looked like in a small telescope or binoculars.


The images are three degrees tall, north is up, and they are centered on 56.7 dec, 5h 7m in the constellation Camelopardalis.
Where - Table Mountain Washington (east of Ellesburgh)
Exposure - 1000 ASA Kodak Gold, 5 minute exposure. Nikon 105 mm/ F2.8 piggy back on Celestron C5+.

 


Related Links

Return to Bruce Weertman's Home Page