Image Description and Details :

Comet C/2020 M3 Atlas in emerald green color passes by the main colorful nebula of the Constellation Auriga in this image captured and processed from Grand Mesa Observatory on 12/8/2020 by Terry Hancock and Tom Masterson. This image was captured using QHYCCD’s latest offering the QHY410C Back Illuminated Full Frame one shot color CMOS camera that we have the honor of testing. The main nebulae in this image are the Flaming Star Nebula (IC 405) the comma shaped red and white/purple nebula to the top and right along with the Tadpole Nebula (NGC 1893) located to the center left. Comet C/2020 M3 Atlas is seen almost ‘touching’ the Tadpole Nebula in this image. Distance-wise Comet C/2020 M3 Atlas was a mere 3.74 light-minutes from Earth when this image was captured while the Flaming Star Nebula is about 1,400 light-years distant and further still is the Tadpole Nebula which is roughly 12,400 light-years away. Technical Info:Total Integration time 3.3 hours Location: Grand Mesa Observatory.com Purdy Mesa, Colorado

Date of capture: December 9th, 2020Color RGGB 200 min, 100 x 120 sec Camera: QHY410C Back Illuminated Full Frame Color CMOS Gain 0, Offset 76Read Mode: High Gain Mode Calibrated with Dark, Bias and Flat Frames Optics: Takahashi E-180 Astrograph Image Acquisition software Maxim DL6Pre-Processed in Pixinsight Post Processed in Photoshop


Copyright Information: Terry Hancock and Tom Masterson