Exposures: Nine 5-minute exposures (45 min) while guiding on a star and four 5-minute exposures (20 min) while guiding on the comet head. Imaged through a red filter (to reduce sky glow)
Processed by combining the two layers
When this image was taken, ISON was 95 million km from earth; estimated visual magnitude 6.3. The galaxy spotted in the upper left is NGC 4731, a 12th magnitude spiral galaxy in Virgo. Comet ISON was found to brighten from 8th to 6th magnitude just hours before this image was taken.
To see a 3-second animation (spanning 45 minutes of travel) click here
Click here for a color image of Comet ISON from the Anza Borrego Desert on the morning of 11/02/13
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