During the past dark window I had the opportunity to image C/2009 P1 Garradd using my DSLR attached to my AR152 refractor. All these years in astronomy and I never took the time to look at a comet. I know, shame on me. How could I have spent all these years observing and not look at a comet. Especially since over the past ten or fifteen years we’ve been treated to a few bright comets. So, on the night of August 23/24, 2011 during one of my rare trips to a dark sky site someone mentioned that somebody should look for the comet. Alright I said, I’ll look for it. Well, I needed a little help from one of the observers there whom just happened to have the coordinates close enough for me to find it.

Once I located the object I dropped in my 2″ Meade Series 4000 QX 26mm Wide-Field eyepiece and I take a look……

C/2009 P1 Garradd August 23/24, 2011. Captured at French Creek Gun Range

For the next 20 seconds or so I am speechless. I found it difficult to move away from the eyepiece to let others take a look. Once everyone has the chance to enjoy the view I couldn’t resist breaking out my camera to image this very cool looking object. The sight of the comet against the star fill background is spectacular. The resulting image is at left and you can click on for a larger view.

A few days later another amazing thing happens. I get out to another dark sky site. This time I venture off to the Blue Mountian Vista Observatory to meet up with a few friends from my astronomy club (CAS). This never happens, me getting out to a dark sky site twice in one month. Since it even darker here I’m going to have another look at this comet. And once again someone had the coordinates close enough for me to find it.

Wow. Even cooler. And once again I have to get a photo. It’s the one at the top left of this post.

I certainly enjoyed my first experience observing a comet. I have read many times about different comet hunters such as David H. Levy and Don Machholz and others but never took much interest in comets, their origins or even hunting them down. While I don’t think I’ll start hunting for them or spending a lot of time trying to understand the science of comets, I will pay more attention to the ones that swing by close enough to get a good look at. Who knows, maybe I’ll snap their photo too.

Clear Skies,

Dan

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