Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd reached around magnitude 6.7 in early 2012, and was visible to the naked eye from a very dark location. Well placed for viewing from the northern hemisphere, it was too close to the Sun to observe in August 2012, before becoming observable again in October 2012 when it was better placed for southern observers. The comet gradually faded as it receeded from both the Earth and the Sun, before becoming lost amongst the Milky Way stars of Canis Major.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. May 22, 2011.
Combination of 3, 3 minute images, SBIG STL-1001E CCD.
20" f/6.8 cassegrain at prime focus.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. June 12, 2011.
Combination of 3, 3 minute images, SBIG STL-1001E CCD.
20" f/6.8 cassegrain at prime focus.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. July 7, 2011.
Combination of 5, 3 minute images, SBIG STL-1001E CCD.
14" f/11 schmidt-cassegrain with an f/7 focal reducer.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. July 28, 2011.
Combination of 10, 3 minute images using red, green and blue filters. SBIG ST9-XE CCD.
5" f/5 refractor at prime focus.

The next 3 images are all from the same set of data, just the combining of the sub-frames is different. The first one was combined using an "add" function, the second using a "median" function, while the third was combined using the "comet" function in "Deep-Sky Stacker".

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. July 28, 2011.
Combination of 3, 3 minute images. SBIG STL-1001E CCD.
20" f/6.8 cassegrain at prime focus.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. July 28, 2011.
Combination of 3, 3 minute images. SBIG STL-1001E CCD.
20" f/6.8 cassegrain at prime focus.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. July 28, 2011.
Combination of 3, 3 minute images. SBIG STL-1001E CCD.
20" f/6.8 cassegrain at prime focus.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. July 29, 2011.
Combination of 10, 3 minute images using red, green and blue filters. SBIG ST9-XE CCD.
5" f/5 refractor at prime focus.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. July 29, 2011.
Animation of individual images that were combined into the previous image. SBIG ST9-XE CCD.
5" f/5 refractor at prime focus.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. July 31, 2011.
Combination of 7, 2 minute images. Canon Digital Rebel DSLR.
5" f/5 refractor at prime focus.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. August 1, 2011.
Combination of 7, 2 minute images. Canon Digital Rebel DSLR.
5" f/5 refractor at prime focus.

At the beginning of August the comet passed very close to the bright globular cluster, M15, making a very interesting sight in the telescope. Also by this time the comet was an easy object in binoculars. In the telescope a 0.5 degree tail was visible.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. August 2, 2011.
Combination of 3, 3 minute images. SBIG STL-1001E CCD.
20" f/6.8 cassegrain at prime focus.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. August 3, 2011.
Combination of 5, 3 minute images using red, green and blue filters. SBIG ST9-XE CCD.
5" f/5 refractor at prime focus.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. August 3, 2011.
Combination of 5, 3 minute images using a green filter. SBIG ST9-XE CCD.
5" f/5 refractor at prime focus.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. August 1 - 3, 2011.
Canon Digital Rebel DSLR.
5" f/5 refractor at prime focus.

Mosiac of images taken over 3 nights showing the motion of the comet past M15. Each image is a combination of 8, 2 minute exposures.

Throughout August, the comet continued to brighten slowly, remaining an easy object in binoculars and a fine sight in the telescope.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. August 5, 2011.
Combination of 10, 3 minute images using red, green, and blue filters. SBIG ST9-XE CCD.
5" f/5 refractor at prime focus.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. August 9, 2011.
Combination of 5, 3 minute images. SBIG ST9-XE CCD.
14" f/11 schmidt-cassegrain with an f/6.3 focal reducer.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. August 19, 2011.
Combination of 5, 3 minute images. SBIG ST9-XE CCD.
14" f/11 schmidt-cassegrain with an f/6.3 focal reducer.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. August 21, 2011.
Combination of 7, 2 minute images. Canon Digital Rebel DSLR.
5" f/5 refractor at prime focus.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. August 21, 2011.
Combination of 5, 3 minute images. SBIG ST9-XE CCD.
14" f/11 schmidt-cassegrain with an f/6.3 focal reducer.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. August 21, 2011.
Combination of the above image and 5, 3 minute images using red, green and blue filters. SBIG ST9-XE CCD.
14" f/11 schmidt-cassegrain with an f/6.3 focal reducer.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. August 22, 2011.
Combination of 12, 2 minute images. Canon Digital Rebel DSLR.
5" f/5 refractor at prime focus.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. August 22, 2011.
Combination of 5, 3 minute images using red, green and blue filters, and 10, 3 minute images unflitered. SBIG STL-1001E CCD.
20" f/6.8 cassegrain at prime focus.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. August 27, 2011.
Combination of 7, 2 minute images. Canon Digital Rebel DSLR.
5" f/5 refractor at prime focus.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. August 28, 2011.
Combination of 10, 3 minute images. SBIG ST9-XE CCD.
14" f/11 schmidt-cassegrain with an f/6.3 focal reducer.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. August 28, 2011.
Combination of the above image and 10, 3 minute images using red, green and blue filters. SBIG ST9-XE CCD.
14" f/11 schmidt-cassegrain with an f/6.3 focal reducer.

During September the comet remained just below naked-eye visibility as it slowly drifted towards the Sun. As it became more "side-on" to the Earth, the tail became more prominent and longer.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. September 25, 2011.
Combination of 15, 1 minute images. SBIG STL-1001E CCD.
20" f/6.8 cassegrain at prime focus.

Following conjunction with the Sun, the comet reappeared in the morning sky during December. Easily visible in binoculars, the comet probably would have been visible to the naked eye in a darker part of the sky. A faint tail was visible in the telescope, while photographs showed a long, straight ion tail and a short dust tail at a considerable angle to the ion tail.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. December 27, 2011.
Combination of 5, 3 minute images using red, green and blue filters.
SBIG STL-1001E CCD. 5" f/5 refractor at prime focus.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. December 28, 2011.
Combination of 8, 3 minute images using red, green and blue filters.
SBIG STL-1001E CCD. 5" f/5 refractor at prime focus.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. December 29, 2011.
Combination of 6, 3 minute images using red, green and blue filters.
SBIG STL-1001E CCD. 5" f/5 refractor at prime focus.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. December 30, 2011.
3 minutes exposure unfiltered.
SBIG STL-1001E CCD. 20" f/6.8 cassegrain at prime focus.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. January 3, 2012.
Combination of 15, 30 second exposures.
Canon 350D DSLR camera. 5" f/5 refractor at prime focus.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. March 11, 2012.
Combination of 20, 150 second exposures.
Canon 350D DSLR camera. 5" f/5 refractor at prime focus.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. March 13, 2012.
Combination of 70, 30 second exposures.
Canon 350D DSLR camera. 5" f/5 refractor at prime focus.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. March 13, 2012.
Combination of 10, 2 minute images using red, green and blue filters.
SBIG STL-1001E CCD. 5" f/5 refractor at prime focus.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. March 13, 2012.
Combination of 20, 2 minute images using red, green and blue filters.
SBIG STL-1001E CCD. 5" f/5 refractor at prime focus.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. March 14, 2012.
Combination of 20, 2 minute images using red, green and blue filters.
SBIG STL-1001E CCD. 5" f/5 refractor at prime focus.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. March 15, 2012.
Combination of 20, 30 second exposures.
Canon 350D DSLR camera. 20" f/6.8 cassegrain at prime focus.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. March 24, 2012.
Combination of 20, 30 second exposures.
Canon 350D DSLR camera. 20" f/6.8 cassegrain at prime focus.

Comet 2009 P1 Gerradd. March 30, 2012.
Combination of 5, 3 minutes images unfiltered.
SBIG STL-1001E CCD. 20" f/6.8 cassegrain at prime focus.