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Comet Hale-Bopp is the subject of this photo. It was taken on March 13, 1997. The exposure was 10-minutes through the Nikon F3 with the zoom lens set at 70-mm, f/4. The film was Kodak PJM. The photograph records the bright yellow dust tail and the subtle blue plasma tail of the comet. If the JPEG image were of better quality, the stars would show some slight trailing. This was not due to poor alignment. The power cable from the declination motor to the power pack was caught on the telescope. After the telescope had tracked for a few minutes, the cable became taught and impinged on the tracking. As soon as I discovered this, I ended the exposure. Such is the life of an astrophotographer.
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Revised: March 23, 2002 [WDF]