Comet Swan proved to be a particularly
frustrating Comet for me. I was plauged with equipment problems
throughout the aparition.
My New Meade Starfinder mount with the 8" f/7.5 Newtonian was simply not sufficient for astrophotography. My Meade 8" f/10 SCT
blew a drive motor. Actually the drive motor didn't blow. It failed mechanically. I recently tore the mount apart and found the cheap little
gears Meade uses in the motor had somehow "unmeshed." I realigned the little gears and soldered the motor back together but it soon
failed again. I attempted some hand guided shots at prime focus to no avail.
So, the only shots I ended up getting were short exposures using telephoto lenses. As a result I determined to purchase a large sturdy reliable
mount that could handle an 8" newt and/or sct. I selected a Losmandy G-11 but did not get it until after the comet was gone.
The good news is that I'll have the equipment to shoot the NEXT Comet to fly by!
Swan maintained a bright green color throughout it's apparition. I got my first shot deep in morning twilight on October 10th.
My New Meade Starfinder mount with the 8" f/7.5 Newtonian was simply not sufficient for astrophotography. My Meade 8" f/10 SCT
blew a drive motor. Actually the drive motor didn't blow. It failed mechanically. I recently tore the mount apart and found the cheap little
gears Meade uses in the motor had somehow "unmeshed." I realigned the little gears and soldered the motor back together but it soon
failed again. I attempted some hand guided shots at prime focus to no avail.
So, the only shots I ended up getting were short exposures using telephoto lenses. As a result I determined to purchase a large sturdy reliable
mount that could handle an 8" newt and/or sct. I selected a Losmandy G-11 but did not get it until after the comet was gone.
The good news is that I'll have the equipment to shoot the NEXT Comet to fly by!
Swan maintained a bright green color throughout it's apparition. I got my first shot deep in morning twilight on October 10th.
My
second shot came just after dusk on October 21st
I
didn't get another opportunity to shoot the comet until Novermber 22nd.
Here's a closeup view.
