One of the benefits of working a job where you get out of work at 2 in the morning is that it gives you an easy opportunity to take advantage of stargazing events. In theory.
So today I left for work with my cherished Celestron Regal 10x42 roof prism binoculars, all prepared to catch a glimpse of the dying Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann.
ScubaSteve and YoAdrian joined me outside scanning the heavens and we saw...something odd and colorful. Satellite? Space Station? Comet? Weird planetoid? We had no idea. And we were actually out too early, because the spotlight-bright moon was ruining everything. Seems the right time was closer to 5 am. Figures.
But, in case you wanna see what we all missed, here is an incredible photo of the brave little comet, making a diagonal line with the spiral galaxy IC 1296 (a brisk 200 MILLION light years away) and the Ring Nebula. The picture was taken with a 36 inch telescope.
In astronomy, size DOES matter.
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