Comet Hyakutake (1996B2)
Three images from March 1996
The first two images were scanned using an Epson GT 8500 flat-bed scanner
at 120 DPI from Kodak Tri-X pan 400 black-and-white prints. They were then
cropped and simple processing was carried out to improve brightness and
contrast using Adobe Photoshop.
The third image was scanned using a Logitech Scanman Colour hand-held scanner
at 100 DPI, also from a Kodak Tri-X pan 400 black-and-white print. This was
Gamma adjusted and cropped using WinGIF v1.4.
The photographs were taken by piggy-backing a Pentax K1000 camera on a
polar-aligned, clock-driven 4.5" Newtonian reflector. Since the comet moved
appreciably against the background stars during the course of a single exposure
(ranging from 5 to 35 minutes), guiding the telescope on the comet resulted
in some star trailing.
The shots were taken by David Benn from two private properties in mid to
northern Tasmania. A 70mm lens at f/3.5 was used for all exposures. Distances
below are given in Astronomical Units, where 1 AU = 149,597,870 km.
15 minute exposure, from 12:00 am to 12:15 am on 18/3/96
Distance from Earth: 0.28 AU; Distance from Sun: 1.2 AU
22 minute exposure, from 02:08 am to 02:30 am on 22/3/96
Distance from Earth: 0.16 AU; Distance from Sun: 1.1 AU
15 minute exposure, from 02:23 am to 02:38 am on 24/3/96
Distance from Earth: 0.12 AU; Distance from Sun: 1.08 AU
Also see the Comet Hyakutake Home Page and the AST home page for more pictures and links.
