C/2022 E3 (ZTF) 2023-Feb-01 Chris Schur

Comet ZTF-E3 at closest approach to Earth
in the evening sky with huge 90% moon nearby
2/1/23

Now at 5th magnitude and passing the Earth, this very fast moving comet was a challenge to image this night due to a very bright 90% full moon that was less than 45 degrees away. The raw color frames were bright blue, and had huge gradients. The final result is shown here, 30 mins total using 2min subs. An almost spiral parabolic envelope surrounds the nuclear region, to the right the bands of the gas tail, and underneath a tawny colored dust fan is still evident.

Lens: 10" f/2.9 GSO Astrograph Newtonian w/Nexus corrector
Platform: Astrophysics AP1200
Camera: ASI071MC Pro CMOS OSC cooled
Exposure: 30mins total integration time
Location: Payson, Arizona
Elevation: 5150 ft.
Sky: Seeing 7/10, Transparency 6/10
Outside Temperature: 25F
Processing Tools: Maxim DL, Photoshop CS2

http://www.schursastrophotography.com/newcomets/CometZTF-E3-020123.html