[andyc (Andy)]

The background to Mars and Siding Spring should be nice too in October, it'll be on the edge of the Pipe Nebula and among rich Milky Way starfields. Depending on how bright/faint the comet is, and if it has anything of a tail, it should be really photogenic for imagers out there.

Another highlight to look out for this month is that C/2012 A1 will pass very close to the Small Magellanic Cloud. It should be particularly close to the globular NGC362 after midnight EST on August 29th. I can't quite be sure, depending on how accurate Starry Night Pro 6 is, but it may actually pass in front of the globular? Definitely one for the cameras! On the following evening (29th-30th) it will be in the middle of a triangle bounded by NGC362, 47 Tucanae and the SMC (image attached, though I doubt the comet will look this big!). I hope someone gets a good image of this, could be pretty even if it's fairly faint. The following night it'll be about 1deg south of 47 Tuc. And the bonus? No Moon to worry about!