Comet McNaught Hunters

[erick (Eric)]

What about some shots of the hunters rather than the hunted! Who has those to share?

Pic 1 - Jan 15 - C'est moi and friend - waiting (ultimately without any joy)

Pic 2 - Jan 15 - In the distance astro_nutt (Norm) points into the bushfire smoke where the comet is hidden from view (sorry poor depth of field)

Pic 3 - Jan 14 - My lengthening shadow falls across my equipment - at the ready. Did spot it briefly!

[h0ughy (David)]

see mikes lostock images for the IISAC contingent

[erick (Eric)]

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/a...0&d=1170280318

[Dujon]

Now, come on erick, be honest; you'd been out paintballing hadn't you (I saw the state of the chairs and your flak jacket- the jacket was quite clean, you must be pretty good) and the comet was just an afterthought?

I would have done something similar (the 'photos) the other day but the weather got in the way. My son and his female friend popped down from Wentworth Falls to have a meal and then take myself and my wife up to Tableland Road in Wenty Falls to have a shufti. Alas the clouds rolled in.

I hadn't even bought anything astronomically oriented. Bah!

[erick (Eric)]

Should tell you about the vest sometime. My wife always reckons I'm going fishing! Bought it soon after starting stargazing cause I need infinite pockets to hold caps off multiple binoculars, torches (red and white), laser pointer, glasses, various nuts and bolts I use, lens cloth (Oh! and the car keys somewhere I won't lose them in the dark). Saw for >$100 on the net, but, from the company's factory outlet shop - $35!

ps. Gee! those chairs do look bright! Well, my new lean back ones are a boring olive green mesh, as I recall.

[DobDobDob (Ron)]

Originally Posted by erick

What about some shots of the hunters rather than the hunted! Who has those to share?

Hi erick, I don't have any images yet but wanted to tell you that I was on my back door step for 4 hours Mon-Tue-Wed-Thur-Fri and every night was cloudy to some degree or other. I didn't have any equipment, only the eyeballs, but I was keen to see the comet.

Then on the Saturday night, I had all but given up, I glanced in the sky, in the right place at the right time and saw the most incredible sight in my entire life. From that instant my fate was sealed and I was destined to be an astronomer forever more.

2 days later I purchased my 20 x 80 triple lens Andrew binoculars, the following day a tripod because 2 kilograms gets heavy very very quickly, and of course can never be held still.

The following day I joined this forum and got a mighty warm welcome from your good self and many others and the rest is as they say...history.

The point of this posting is to tell you how a single event can cause a paradigm shift, I had done astronomy and observing years ago and loved it but it wasn't there in the passion/obsessed volume that it now is.

So I owe everything to comet McNaught.