Comet 103P/ Hartley 2, November 29, 1997.
15 minutes exposure, Fuji Super HG V 400 film.
5" f/5 refractor at prime focus.
The 1997 return was very favourable, with the comet peaking at around 8.0 magnitude.
During the end of November and the beginning of December, the comet passed close to the Saturn nebula (NGC 7009). Unfortunately the two objects were never close enough to fit in the field of my 5" refractor. Comparing the two visually, they were very similar with the comet being slightly brighter and larger.
Comet 103P/ Hartley 2, January 28, 1998.
40 minutes exposure, Kodak Ektachrome 400 film.
5" f/5 refractor at prime focus.
Comet 103P/ Hartley 2, February 1, 1998.
25 minutes exposure, Kodak Gold 400 film.
300mm f/2.8 Pentax lens.
On this night, the 8.8 magnitude comet was passing close to the variable star Mira, which was near maximum brightness.
The comet is in the upper right of the image and apart from a strong greenish hue, displays a bright central condensation with a fainter outer coma. Mira is the bright orange star in the bottom of the picture.