File:Comet Olbers (by Jan Beránek).jpg

English: Another fruit of a night out earlier this week is this portrait of a charming 13P/Olbers comet, currently observable in the constellation of the Great Bear.

It has been discovered by a German astronomer Heinrich Olbers in 1815. It is a period comet that orbits the Sun approximately every 70 years and on its previous 'fly by' - in January 1956 - was re-discovered by a Czechoslovak astronomer Antonin Mrkos.

The Olbers comet belongs to the family of "Haley-type" of comets, with orbital periods between 20 and 200 years. It is therefore quite similar to the Pons-Brooks comet that was visible in March.

During the current approach, it was nearest the Sun on June 30th, and was closest to Earth on 20th July. It means that it will start fading rapidly now. The next chance to see it will be in 2094 🙂

The photo captures nicely both 'tails'. One that is formed from particles like ions and electrons is usually thin and straight with a bluish tint, and has detailed structure as the stream of particles is shaped by the solar wind. The other tail is formed by dust, is often wider and even curved, as it trails behind the head of the comet. Thanks to the current geometrical configuration/position of Sun, Earth and the Olbers comet, it appears to us as a very wide fan or a wedge. Since the dust disperses and reflects the light from Sun, it appears yellowish. Finally, the green tint at the head of the comet is light emitted by the ionized gases (such as carbon) released from the surface of the comet itself.

I took the photo on Monday evening in my motherland, during a lovely joint astrophotography session with Pavel Karas (https://www.astrobin.com/users/pauliezmm). Back in 2020, we accidentally ran into each other at the same spot: two crazy guys trying to capture the bright C/2020 F NEOWISE comet. I had just an ordinary camera on a tripod, but Pavel inspired me to take this hobby more seriously and invest in some more advanced, specialized equipment. In some way, he was at the start of my current journey, and i am very grateful for the inspiration and advice he has been gladly giving a newbie like me. Thank you!

Imaging Telescopes Or Lenses: Celestron EdgeHD 11" Imaging Cameras: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro Mounts: Sky-Watcher EQ6 Pro Accessories: Starizona HyperStar 11 v4 (HS4-C11) Software: Adobe Photoshop · Siril Team Siril

Dates: July 29, 2024 Frames: 100×30″(50′) Integration: 50′ Avg. Moon age: 23.61 days Avg. Moon phase: 34.74% RA center: 11h08m53s.92 DEC center: +36°04′02″.7

Pixel scale: 2.114 arcsec/pixel

Orientation: -61.842 degrees

Field radius: 1.419 degrees