Comet 103P/Hartley

Comet 103P/Hartley, also known as Hartley 2, is a bright periodic comet that became well observable in 2010 during a close approach to Earth. Despite its relatively small size, Hartley 2 displayed a condensed green coma and a faint, narrow tail, making it a rewarding target for both visual observers and astrophotographers. Its activity, compact nucleus, and subtle structural features provided an excellent opportunity to study the dynamics of a short-period comet.

I captured images of Hartley 2 from my own backyard observatory, tracking its movement across dense star fields over several nights. The comet’s apparent motion and evolving coma required careful planning and multiple exposures to reveal both its diffuse outer structure and its more concentrated central region. Despite its modest brightness, the comet’s lively activity made imaging it particularly engaging.

Image processing was performed using Fitswork, Photoshop, and PixInsight

The images were taken with the following equipment:

• Date: 2010
• Location: Krefeld, Germany
• Telescope: Orion 10″ Newton
• Focal length [mm]: 1200
• Focal ratio: 4.8
• Mount: Skywatcher NEQ-6
• Camera: Canon 500 Da
• Filter: OSC
• Exposure time [min]: 51
• Resolution: 0.81″/px