Comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) on January 13, 2015, approx. 7:30pm to 8:30pm from Caledonia ON.
I used my Canon 40D, Astronomik CLS light pollution clip-filter and my Tamron 300mm f/2.8 telephoto lens on my Super-Polaris EQ mount.
Settings: ISO 1600, f/2.8.
Post-processing included curves adjustments, colour balancing, and multiple iterations of layering, masking & blending to smooth out the head of the comet a little better.
Note the comet’s tail pointing downward as per the images’ orientation; eastward away from the sun’s direction.
The image on the left is a composite of 5 1-minute exposures and is stacked on the background stars. The image on the right is a composite of 8 1-minute exposures stacked on the head of the comet, hence the star trailing, indicating the comet’s direction. North is to the left in both images.
That’s a very fine image, Bob. I am particularly impressed with the detail in the tail in the right hand image. Well done!
Impressive photos and you managed to capture the tail! I had a hard time gathering enough light for the tail without over exposing the background. Would you say your light pollution filter allowed you to capture the tail or was it some other technique?
The light pollution filter does help a lot for stuff around here. It cuts down the glare of the light fog from city lights. I used it last year near Mountsberg, at my brother’s old place, when I imaged the Orion Nebula (the image that is the January 2015 calendar photo).