Jump to top page


Reports from Geisei Observatory <August 30, 2009>


22P/Kopff, C/2006 W3 (Christensen), and C/2009 P2 (Boattini)

    The following are the observations made at Geisei. 22P/Kopff is still bright enough for visual observation and shows a short faint tail.
    C/2006 W3 (Christensen) has become a little fainter, but is visible at a favorable position near the zenith in the evening.
    C/2009 P2 (Boattini) is considerably faint and I made a 41-minute exposure using slow-speed 2415 Technical Pan. ISO 400 films will not show the comet because of reciprocity failure. With little time left before moonlight becoming too bright, I had to give up taking another shot, which I would normally do.@I enjoy taking long-exposure photographs, while viewing the universe and letting my mind wondering around.
    It was in September, too, when I photographed Halley's Comet in 1984. In those days, I used 103a-O photographic plates with exposures of as long as 37 minutes. I used to hear a lively chorus of chirping insects, but no more, probably because much of the grass area has been cleared.
    A woman from Takamatsu city who visited the observatory sent me a poem written on "shikishi" color paper:

    In the midst of a chorus of singing insects, I enjoyed the reunion with my dear stars.

0022P          2009 08 30.67257 22 47 37.91 -14 23 48.4          14.2 N      372

    CK06W030   2009 08 29.52326 19 53 24.18 +15 09 00.3          10.1 T      372
    CK06W030   2009 08 30.65938 19 51 25.15 +14 34 24.6          10.0 T      372

    CK09P020   2009 08 30.69215 23 42 12.28 +16 36 39.4          19.0 N      372
Copyright (C) 2009 Tsutomu Seki.