Comet McNaught (2006/P1) - images

[RB]

Oh another great capture Gary, keep them coming mate.

:thumbsup:

[Marc]

Wow! There are some beaultiful images posted. I shouldn't have waited so long to visit this thread.

Here is one of only a handful I took. This would be the best out of the lot...
It was shot on my new EOS 400D piggy backed, ISO1600 (had to review my shooting info, thought it was 800), shutter priority, 10 second exposure at 6.3.
The line at the bottom of the shot was an inconsiderate satellite...
I took this one at around 10:40 on the 22nd of Jan.

[h0ughy]

nice shot there Marc

[RB]

I would like to take this oppertunity to thank Burkhard for his request here on IIS for McNaught images.
After submitting my image I recieved an email that it might be used in the magazine.

Well to my surprise I received a copy of the German magazine "Interstellarum" just recently and my Comet McNaught image was published along with two of Mike Salway's.

It's a real thrill to see your work published, especially in a foreign magazine.
I must add that it's a first class magazine with a lot of information and reviews especially for astro imaging.

I only wish I could read German for I'd be a subscriber for sure.

Thanks again Burkhard.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[wavelandscott]

That is way cool!

Congratulations to you and Mike!

[iceman]

ditto to Andrew - that's Burkhard! Was great to see the images in print.

I also had a couple of images printed in the May 2007 issue of Astronomy - one of them was a double page spread! Very cool. They even pay for images, it was a very nice surprise.

[wavelandscott]

Congratulations on that too...

Since you are "getting paid" I guess this makes you no longer an amateur...

:whistle: Do you still get to enter "amateur" competitions? :whistle:

[Tesladownunder]

My photo made it to the front cover of the Chinese Astronomical Journal, to an article in the International Comet Quarterly and to page 3 of our local paper.
The Chinese promised $50 but didn't come good with that but did send 2 copies of the mag. So not a professional astronomer yet.

http://tesladownunder.com/NaturePhotoGallery.htm#Comet%20McNa ught

[iceman]

Great to see Comet McNaught again, man that was a great time.

[Outbackmanyep]

Isn't it great to be still talking about this comet almost 12 months on!?
My first sighting was on 17th January, only briefly because a huge thunderhead was staring down at me, everywhere else was clear except the west and south-west....i saw it in binoculars.....WOW! This is AWESOME! Then the clouds covered it.....i couldn't wait till tomorrow!

I know i'll NEVER EVER forget it! 18th January, 2007.....
The thrill of the hunt, dodging clouds, the excitement of getting my gear together after work, all bundled in the Landcruiser, race out to the hunting property to drive across creeks, and opening about half a dozen gates (and closing them of course)....get up near a trig station, set up my gear on the side of the hill, warm wind blowing, David Gilmour quietly playing on the CD player......just waiting for the sun to set and then it was on.......roughly aligned my eq. fork for the 8" SCT, then i scanned for Venus, find it!, set my setting circles, read the ephemeris, wide angle eyepiece in, adjust to approx position....visually scan for that faint bluish blob of fuzz.....i remember sighting it at 8:15pm! Twilight about 30 mins from ending......my old man spotted it in binoculars and his excitement said it all! "HOLY @!$T....look at the SIZE of it!!!"
It appeared through my scope, and it looked like a small fuzz, but as the sky got darker it glowed with a golden hue.....and the extensions of the tail got more and more....i scurried to get my Minolta 7000 all hooked up to Prime focus, i had another Minolta 7000 on a tripod ready to take wide angle shots.......then click....click.....click....800 ISO film in, 5 sec exp, 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 45 seconds, 1 minute.......got to 5 mins, then camera onto piggyback mount.....same deal.....5 sec, 15 secs....none of my images went longer than 5 mins. I wanted to cover everything!
Had to make sure the focus was right......and sharp, even to the extent i had the focus motor on when taking prime focus shots to help lock the focusser down......10 rolls of film between 2 cameras throughout the first 3 weeks of its apparition, the following day was the same routine......the moon light gifted me an opportunity to get some good moonlit foreground shots....

I'll never forget P1 McNaught! :thumbsup:
the scans look grainy and a little smeary because the underside of my HP scanner is foggy and i can't do nothing about it, the actual images look pristine!
I might have a Beez Neez now to remember it by! :D

Anyways...heres some shots guys!

[jjjnettie]

I like the first image best, though all 4 are excellent.
A once in a lifetime event.
I still get emotional thinking back to the evening of the 20th. Scanning the skies with binoculars, then there it was, and as the sky darkened and the comet revealed it's full glory. Wow. Fan bloody tastic.

[h0ughy]

they are great!!! yes its a lifetime event thats for sure.

[Outbackmanyep]

Hey Guys!
Have a look at this pic!

http://www.aerith.net/pictures/ligustri/C2006P1_070114.jpg

Thats an AWESOME pic! Ahhhhhh Memories! :cheers:

[iceman]

ah I remember trying to find it during the day.. man it was close to the Sun.. very dangerous trying to find it in binoculars.

[fringe_dweller]

amazing photo op! not likely to be repeated anytime soon? i still remember the sunburn on my delicate milky alabaster white astronomers skin!! ouch! i remember the apocolyptic weather/conditions most of all LOL, it was like all hades had opened up and spawned this little beauty

[CoombellKid]

Geee for a second there I thought this was a recent shot. Yup fond memories
of sitting on the front porch witha coldie and the 20x80's in hand.

I'd be surprised if we see one that spectacular in our lifetime again, but I'm
always hopeful. Not to many comets in our recent past that we really need
to image it for both hemispheres to get the full perspective of it's tail. So
sweet travels to our friend the Great Comet of 2007, may you show your
splendid glory to someone else where and whenever they may be. And a
merry christmas to you too.

regards,CS

[Outbackmanyep]

I remember looking for it in daylight with my 7x50's, needless to say that my search wasn't fruitful, i had perfectly clear skies around midday, i also remember those scotch thistle seeds high up above me crossing the FOV and putting me off! its hard to focus on anything in the blue if you have nothing contrasty that you can focus on, like trying to focus on Venus in daytime!

[circumpolar]

This comet will be remembered for many years to come. My first astrocamp will never be forgotten (IIS, Jan 20, 2007).
Thanks Mike and IIS!

Here are some pics that I did not take. I would normally post a link but I can't find any because I grabed them almost 12 months ago of the net. Please excuse me not acknowledging the photographers.

Beautiful photos!

[Outbackmanyep]

Thats awesome Circumpolar!
thanks for putting those up! I like the ones with the clouds, it just looks so surreal!