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+--- Thread: C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) - First Interstellar Comet! (/showthread.php?tid=612)
C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) - First Interstellar Comet! - theskyhound - 2019-09-11
The Minor Planet Center just released an orbit for C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) and I have added it to the current comets target list.
This comet was only recognized yesterday as being of interstellar origin (a first). It is currently brighter than 19th mag.
RE: C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) - First Interstellar Comet! - theskyhound - 2019-09-12
I obtained three 10-minutes exposures this morning with iTelescope T11 (0.50-m f/6.8 reflector + CCD + f/4.5 focal reducer) at New Mexico Skies.
The first image is a stack of all three. Second image is an animation.
RE: C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) - First Interstellar Comet! - PMSchu - 2019-09-13
Hi Greg,
Very impressive captures. The comet sure looks much fainter than Mag 15 as predicted. It looks like a 5 min exposure would have likely missed it. What kind of system was Mr. Borisov using that he found it almost 2 weeks ago? It least it was a new moon then, but still wow!
Thanks for the article at Skyhound.com, very interesting.
Phil S.
RE: C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) - First Interstellar Comet! - theskyhound - 2019-09-13
Hello Phil,
I updated the ST4 Imaging comet data today to better reflect the magnitude, which I estimated from my images to be 18.5 or (possibly fainter).
Borisov built his own, quite unique, 25-inch wide field telescope to do surveys with.
https://s22380.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/Gennady-with-0.65-m-scope_S.jpg
RE: C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) - First Interstellar Comet! - PMSchu - 2019-09-13
Hi Greg,
Borisov's camera looks to be optically 'fast'. Do you know what optical design it uses? It doesn't have the corrector plate of a Schmidt-type system. It's really impressive that he found this comet at ~mag=19.
Phil S.
RE: C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) - First Interstellar Comet! - theskyhound - 2019-09-13
All I know about Borisov and his telescope is what little I could gleam from a video in Russian with an often hilarious auto-generated English translation!