Page 4 ( Last level.)

The great comet Hyakutake.

 This is the first natural celestial object which I actually could see moving among the stars in my telescope. On March 25th it was only 15 millions km from earth one month after perihel..
It moved so fast that I only used smaller instruments for photographing and guided on the comets' head with bigger telescopes.

The perihel passage was on February 24th 1996 just outside earth orbit at a distance of 190 millions km.
At perigeum I saw a tail at least 15 degrees long.
This comet was discovered by the amateur comet hunter Yuji Hyakutake who lives in Kagoshima in the souther Japan. On the morning of December 26th 1995 he found the faint glow in the intersection of Virgo, Libra and Hydra with his impressive 25X150 binoculars. The magnitude was 10.5 with a diameter of 3.5'.
9.March 1996
Universal time : 02.40
Telescope/Camera : 200mm f/4.5
Exposure time and film:
0.5 min. on Konica Color XG 100
It is still faint and far from the earth.
The faint spot in the middle
just over the neighbour's house.
Digitized by Kodak.



10.March 1996
Universal time : 02.51
Telescope/Camera : 200mm f/4.5
Exposure time and film:
0.5 min. on Konica Color XG 100
The almost full moon dominate.
The comet is barely visible.
Digitized by Kodak.



11.March 1996
Universal time : 02.06
Telescope/Camera : 200 mm f/4.5
Exposure time and film:
5 min. on Konica Color XG-100
The neighbour's chimney touch Hyakutake.
Digitized by Kodak.



12.March 1996
Universal time : 02.25
Telescope/Camera : 200 mm f/4.5
Exposure time and film:
10 min. on Konica Color XG-100
Digitized by Kodak.



20.March 1996
Universal time : 02.48
Telescope/Camera : 0.10m f/6
Exposure time and film:
3 min. on Konica Color XG 100
Digitized by Kodak.



22.March 1996
Universal time : 01.05
Telescope/Camera : 0.10m f/6
Exposure time and film:
4 min. on Konica Color XG 100
It is closing fast toward the earth.
Digitized by Kodak.



22.March 1996
Universal time : 22.30
Telescope/Camera : 55 mm f/1.8
Exposure time and film:
5 min. on Konica SuperXG-100
Wide angle view of the sky.
Digitized by Kodak.



22.March 1996
Universal time : 23.31
Telescope/Camera : 200 mm f/4.5
Exposure time and film:
15 min. on Konica Super XG-100
Digitized by Kodak.



23.March 1996
Universal time : 22.50
Telescope/Camera : 0.10m f/6
Exposure time and film:
3.5 min. on Konica Super XG-100
Digitized by Kodak.



25.March 1996
Universal time : 00.55
Telescope/Camera : 200 mm f/4.5
Exposure time and film:
13 min. on Konica Super XG-100
Now I easily can see the comet move in
real time. It is at perigeum.
Digitized by Kodak.



25.March 1996
Universal time : 01.45
Telescope/Camera : 55 mm f/1.8
Exposure time and film:
16 min. on Konica Super XG-100
Digitized by Kodak.



26.March 1996
Universal time : 00.06
Telescope/Camera : 55 mm f/1.8
Exposure time and film:
15 min. on Konica Super XG-100
Digitized by Kodak.



26.March 1996
Universal time : 00.31
Telescope/Camera : 200 mm f/4.5
Exposure time and film:
5 min. on Konica Super XG-100
Digitized by Kodak.



26.March 1996
Universal time : 02.40
Telescope/Camera : 200 mm f/4.5
Exposure time and film:
5 min. on Kodak Gold 100
Digitized by Kodak.



26.March 1996
Universal time : 21.58
Telescope/Camera : 200mm f/4.5
Exposure time and film:
11 min. on Kodak Gold 100
Digitized by Kodak.



27.March 1996
Universal time : 00.30
Telescope/Camera : 55 mm f/1.8
Exposure time and film:
12 min. on Kodak Gold 100
Digitized by Kodak.



28.March 1996
Universal time : 20.28
Telescope/Camera : 400mm f/9
Exposure time and film:
21 min. on Kodak Gold 100
Digitized by Kodak.



30.March 1996
Universal time : 20.00
Telescope/Camera : 400 mm f/9
Exposure time and film:
17 min. on Kodak Gold 100
Digitized by Kodak.



8.April 1996
Universal time : 20.26
Telescope/Camera : 0.10m f/6
Exposure time and film:
4 min. on Kodak Gold 100
The Comet's appearance now changed
very little until it became too
close to the sun for observations.
Digitized by Kodak.

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