Spent 3 hours tracking a ghost planet that turned out to be a lens flare

Was out at a dark site near Big Bend two nights ago trying to catch Neptune passing behind a distant galaxy. Stacked 2 hours of exposure on my ZWO ASI2600 and got this suspicious fuzzy blob near the target. Spent forever tweaking flats and darks trying to clean it up. Finally zoomed in at full resolution and realized it was a reflection off a streetlight 30 miles away. Anyone else waste a whole session chasing something that wasn't real?

2 comments

2 Comments

rowan_wells671mo ago

Read an article last year where someone spent three months tracking a "new asteroid" that ended up being a glint off a satellite in a weird orbit. Every astrophotographer has got a story like this, its basically tradition at this point. At least you caught it before you labeled it as a discovery and had to send a retraction email to the IAU.

ivan_perez1mo ago

Pulled a similar stunt last year chasing a "supernova" that turned out to be a dirty smudge on my eyepiece. Left my scope pointed at a random patch of sky for an hour while I ran inside to grab snacks and check charts, came back and saw this bright dot I swore was new. Turned out to be Venus through a gap in the clouds that had moved while I was gone. Felt real smart cleaning my lens with a microfiber cloth while my neighbor's dog watched me from his yard like I was an idiot.