Comet Lovejoy (C/2014 Q2) in the constellation of Columba

It is the 5th comet discovered by the Australian amateur astronomer, Terry Lovejoy using an 8-inch telescope. This comet has a very long orbital period of 11,500 years. In December and January 2014/2015, Lovejoy is rising from the South and will be getting higher as it approaches perihelion on January 30th. On January 1, 2015, Comet Lovejoy is in the constellation of Lepus and is visually a 5.6-magnitude glowing fuzz ball in moderately sized telescopes. A faint tail can be glimpsed in larger scopes (ie. S.C’s 18-inch Dob.).

30 images x 45-second subframes, Total= 22.5-minutes. Takahashi Epsilon -180, f/2.8 hyperbolic astrograph, Unmodified Canon T1i DSLR, Astronomik CLS Light Pollution filter, ISO 1600, Losmandy Gemini G-11 EQ mount in comet tracking mode. Acquisition, calibration, alignment, combine and digital development processing by Images Plus 3.82b. Additional processing using Adobe Photoshop. ATMoB Clubhouse, Westford, MA, 26 December 2014.