Comet Catalina (C/2013 US10)

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Photographer:

Jon Greif

Location of Photo:

Nerpio Spain, remotely from La Jolla CA USA

Date/Time of photo:

14 January 2016

Equipment:

Takahashi 150 mm refractor and imaging system

Description:

The image is a close-up of the Comet Catalina (C/2013 US10) taken remotely from the itelescope.net site in Nerpio Spain at 4 AM (Spain time) today, using a 150 mm Takahashi refractor and imaging system (Luminance filter for 300 seconds). Surrounding stars, and a galaxy (M51, the Whirlpool) appear blurred in this image, as the telescope is tracking the comet. The comet is visible, with binoculars, as a faint blur in the pre-dawn sky, and will be closest to Earth, at 68 million miles, in 3 days. It is expected (based on current trajectory) to leave our Solar System and continue off into space, never to return.