About this Object:
Comet Garradd (C/2009 P1) was at magnitude 7 in the evening western sky on September 30, 2011. Discovered by Gordon Garradd at the Siding Spring Observatory in Australia in 2009, Comet Garradd is a relatively large comet, but is very distant from Earth at 2 AU. (Twice the distance from Earth to the Sun). The comet glows green as the sun melts the ice core releasing Cyanogen and Carbon gases. Comets move very quickly and if you look closely at this picture you can see movement of the core relative to the background stars during the 45 minutes of exposure.

About this Photo:
Date(s): September 30, 2011
Location: From my driveway in Georgetown, Texas
Telescope: Orion ED80 @ F6.3
Mount: CGEM
Guiding: Orion StarShoot AutoGuider / Orion ST80
Camera: Canon 40D Modified
Filter: Astronomik CLS
Exposure: 9 x 300s @ ISO800 (45 Min total)
Acquisition: ImagesPlus 3.75 Camera Control
Processing: ImagesPlus 3.75 – Darks,Flats,Bias
Post-processing: Adobe Photoshop CS5; Gradient Exterminator; Noise Ninja; Noel Carboni's Tools; Annie’s Astro Actions
Temperature(s): 65º F