Comet C/2015 V2 Johnson

[rwilkinson]

This comet is quite a difficult target, as it's very low in the North: only 17 degrees above the horizon at 9pm, and sinking lower through the night.
We had some haze low in the North during our recent trip to Norfolk, but on returning to Bolton it was rather clearer last night. And I found that when aiming to the North I can get away without using a LPR filter (which is certainly not the case when pointing South).
I just managed to get five exposures for stacking before the comet "set" behind my shed roof:

Comet Johnson on 2-Oct. 5x 90-sec using HX916 on 80mm f/4.6

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If I get another chance, I'll start earlier in the twilight and set up my tripod as close to the opposite hedge, so that it can see more sky over the shed!

[rwilkinson]

Two consecutive clear nights - we're getting spoiled!

Anyway, I did have another go at this comet last night, and setting up my tripod with two legs on the lawn and one in the flowerbed had it in sight for much longer:

Comet Johnson on 3-Oct. 50x 1-min using MX716 on C8 at f/3.3.

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[rwilkinson]

I'ts noticeably brighter this week, and last night with no star in the background the tail is clearer to see.

Comet Johnson on 10-Oct. 64x 1-min using MX716 with C8 at f/3.3

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[rwilkinson]

This comet is still around, getting nearer and larger.
I got an image this morning using a remote telescope in New Mexico (at the time I was at the dentist having a filling repaired!):

Comet Johnson on 22-Feb. 3x 200-sec with 150mm f/7.3

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It's a 10th magnitude object in Hercules, so would be an early-morning object from here if the skies ever cleared!

[rwilkinson]

This comet is still in Hercules, so is now well-placed in the early morning sky - but there's bright Moonlight at the moment.
But although it was cloudy in Bolton (and indeed New Mexico!), I did manage to get an image from Tenerife, using the Open University's new COAST robotic telesope:

Comet Johnson on 15-Mar. 2x 120-sec with 14" SCT (COAST robotic telescope).

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There will be more about this in our April newsletter

[rwilkinson]

I got another image back from Tenerife this morning:

Comet Johnson on 22-Mar. 6x 120s with 14" SCT.

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[rwilkinson]

I took advantage of another clear night to get an image of this comet:

Comet Johnson on 2-Apr. 27x 90-sec with MX716 on C8 at f/3.3.

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I had to wait until nearly 11pm for it to rise above the trees to my East, but at least by then the Moon had set, and so the sky was darker.

[rwilkinson]

This is one of the comets which I mentioned on Tuesday evening.
It's now in Hercules, so well-placed in our evening skies. Last night I caught it for a while after it had cleared the trees, and before the clouds rolled in:

Comet Johnson on 21-Apr. 13x 90-sec with MX716 on C8 at f/3.3

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[rwilkinson]

It was a little hazy last night, but at least the comet was clear of the trees by 10:30pm.

Comet Johnson on 22-Apr. 35x 80-sec with 16IC on 80ED at f/4.6

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[rwilkinson]

Last night I managed to see this comet (in the eyepiece, rather than on a CCD).
I was at a dark site in the Wye Valley, using a little 130P Newtonian on a Celestron NexStar Alt-Az mount.
My site has a good view to the East, so I could do a quick 2-star alignment on Vega and Arcturus soon after 10pm, and then linking SkySafariPlus on my Nexus7 tablet to the mount via BlueTooth, I sent it to the comet's position.
It was quite distinct in the eyepiece, a little smaller and fainter than the M51 Whirlpool Galaxy (although the latter was much higher in the sky).

I also had a good look for comet 41P: I found the surrounding stars OK, but couldn't make out the comet itself. It was lower in the sky, and I know that it's very diffuse.