David Mathre Photography

Astrophotography

  • Comet 220P/McNaught (06-September-2026)

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    David Mathre
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    After nearly a week of rain and cloudy nights the ClearNightSky forecast looked good for continuing the observation of comet C220P/McNaught. The Waning Crescent moon is dimmer (~24% illuminated) than the last observation. I updated the manual target coordinates (RA/Dec: 03h 23m 35s; +08° 33′ 22″) for the comet in Singularity and started an overnight observation plan.

    The comet is dimming, and the tail is less visible. According to the Comet Observers Database (COBS) the visual magnitude of the comet was 11.0 for the night.

    The following slideshows include the straight out of the telescope (SOOT) images and images processed with PixInsight. For scale, I’ve included annotated and cropped images (1.0° FOV width). All of the images including the 16-bit RAW/TIFF files are available on my PhotoShelter site (20260906). Click on the i below the slideshow to view the captions with information about each image.

    Vespera 1 Telescope

    Vespera Passengers Telescope

    Vespera 2 Telescope

    Vespera 3 Telescope

    Vespera Pro 1A Telescope

    Vespera Pro 1B Telescope

    Vespera Pro 2 Telescope

    Links to my previous observations of comet 220P/McNaught: 20260606, 20260609, 20260616, 20260810, 20260811, 20260815, 20260816, 20260819, 20260820, 20260824, 20260825, 20260826, 20260829, 20260830

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  • Optimization Viewing Comet 220P/McNaught with Vespera Telescopes – Part 4

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    David Mathre
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    The ClearNightSky forecast showed clear skies predicted for the whole night. I wanted to repeat the Part 3 results making observation of comet 220P/McNaught using the three target types (nebula, galaxy, or cluster). This time with the gain set to 15 dB or 20 dB. Mainly to confirm that “cluster” is the best manual target choice to minimize the issue of the center background gradient. It has been six nights since the last good observations and according to the Comet Observers Database (COBS) the visual magnitude of the comet dimmed to +11.0.

    The observations from the Vespera 3, Vespera Pro 1, and Vespera Pro 2 telescopes are shown below. These are the unedited, “straight out of the telescope” (SOOT) JPG images. Click on the i below the slideshow to see the caption with the Manual Target parameters.

    The “cluster” manual target observation type remains the best, with galaxy coming a close second. The comet and tail are more difficult to view in the images with “nebula” as the target type.

    Vespera 3 Telescope

    Vespera Pro 1A Telescope

    Vespera Pro 1B Telescope

    Vespera Pro 2 Telescope

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About the author

I am a scientist by training (Eckerd College, BSc; Caltech, Ph.D.). I worked for 27 years as a Chemist in the Pharmaceutical Industry developing processes to manufacture medicines for human and animal health. I now spend my time as a photographer and world traveler. My interests include the natural world, wildlife, landscapes, sky, and seascapes, travel, and astrophotography. I look for unique ways of viewing the world and presenting my images. I have traveled to over 55 countries in six continents, often on Semester at Sea voyages. While at home in New Jersey, I spend time observing and photographing the plants and animals while expanding a wildflower garden/meadow in the backyard. When the sky is clear, I have telescopes viewing the night sky.

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Comet Comet 220P/McNaught Comet C2025/A6 Comet C2025/R2 Jupiter Moon occultation Optimization PixInsight Singularity Stellarium Stellina Telescope time-lapse Topaz Photo Vaonis Vespera Vespera Classic Vespera II Vespera III Vespera Passengers Vespera Pro Vespera Pro 2

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