A most beautiful Comet.

[RB astro]

Comet McNaught put on a gorgeous show a decade ago.
Truly was one of the best comets we've seen in the last ten years.
I was lucky enough to take this shot while there was a wild/bush fire in the bottom left of the frame.
It gave the whole scene a gorgeous transition of hues.
Hope you like.

RB

:beer:

 

[RedCowboy]

Wow, Great shot, that's a keeper.
You will look back at that one and remember the time. :kewlpics:

 

[Lifetime17]

Hi RB,
Yes a truly spectacular pic that is impressive i must say. Our world is full of great spectacles from time to time .Great shot ...

Rich

 

[Encap]

RB:
Very impressive and magnificent photograph.
You are lucky you were able witness the event and to get a chance to capture that beautiful photo of it
Must have been awe inspiring to see in person:beer:
+rep when I can

 

[NightExplorer96]

Very good looking shot Andrew, nice job! :kewlpics:

-Alex

 

[diachi]

Wonderful shot, good job! :beer:

 

[ArcticDude]

Just amazing shot Andrew!!
Really love the color of sky on background!

Thanks for sharing that :beer:

 

[jayrob]

Wow nice!

Makes me want to get back into Astrophotography...

 

[Down with Umbrella]

Incredible shot! On a side note it's a pleasure for me to see things that often grace the skies of the Southern Hemisphere!

 

[BowtieGuy]

Truly beautiful, Andrew!
I imagine looking at this photo today is every bit as awe inspiring as it was 10 years ago! :kewlpics:

Thanks for sharing! :yh:

PS - Nice to hear from you again, jayrob!

 

[Alaskan]

It is beautiful

 

[CurtisOliver]

The first thing that came to mind when I saw that was 'Wow!' and I see others thought the same.
Excellent shot Andrew. What a sight. :beer:

 

[RB astro]

Many thanks everyone.
It is a sight I will never forget and very lucky to be able to get that shot.
Jeff, RedC & Encap, it still leaves me amazed every time I see it, not because it's mine but just at what is out there in the universe and the sights we get to see.
Arctic, yes the sky background was almost made to order wasn't it, couldn't ask for a better back drop.
It's been published in Aussie, German and US astro mags and websites.

So nice to see jayrob and down-with-umbrella posting again, thanks guys.

RB

 

[paul1598419]

Very beautiful shot of that comet, Andrew. I can tell by the tail where the sun is, but in which direction was it moving at the time? Really excellent that you didn't need a telescope to get this fantastic shot.

 

[RB astro]

From memory Paul, it was moving 'back', away from the sun.
It was, I think, on it's return after it had gone around the sun, if that makes sense.
We were waiting here in the south for it to survive and come around out of the approach.
We were fearful that it was not going to make the approach, that it would breakup or hit the sun.
So yes you can tell where the sun was in relation but it was receding away.

I'm not sure if you know but not always does the tail project away from the sun.
Comets have two tails usually (not always visible), the ion tail and the dust tail.
the dust tail sometimes doesn't stream back from the sun but foolows the comet's orbital path.
It's possible for one of the tails to appear in front of the comet as it travels, amazing.

Two Types of Tails
Ultraviolet light ionizes the neutral gas blown off the comet, and the solar wind carries these ions straight out from the Sun to form the ion tail, which typically glows blue.
The dust tail on the other hand is neutral, composed of small dust particles (similar in size to those found in cigarette smoke).
Pressure from the Sun's radiation pushes these particles away from the comet’s nucleus.
These particles continue to follow the comet’s orbit around the Sun, and form a diffuse, curved tail that typically appears white or pink from Earth.

Have a look at the following comet (Comet Holmes).
It was a very unusual comet in that we got a head on look at it.
They dubbed it 'The Jelly Fish' comet.

Sometimes you need a telescope, sometimes just a lens on a camera.
It all is a matter of scale.

I have been very fortunate to witness some of the most spectacular comets in recent history and I have photos of each one.



Below is a wide angle of Holmes, just a camera and lens.

and then a close-up with a telescope.

 

[paul1598419]

That makes perfect sense, Andrew. I was aware that there could be two tails to a comet, but often only one is seen. Seems to be the one pushed by the solar winds that is usually visible, IIRC.