Comet McNaught (C/2006 P1), Brightest Comet in 40 Years!
If you have a clear morning or evening sky, I highly recommend you get out and check out Comet McNaught (C/2006 P1). Its the brightest comet in Its readily visible with binoculars, and as the Sun's twilight fades, its readily visible to the unaided eye. And, it is extremely easy to photograph. I took photos of it on January 9 with a 70-200mm F4L lens at ISO100, f/4 between 1/4 and 1 second!.
It appears out of the twilight about a fist-width held at arms length above the spot where the sun set. [Finder Chart].
![[Finder Chart]](http://www.spaceweather.com/images2007/08jan07/skymap_north.gif){kind=link}
Click below for more photos.
I took these photos from Pier 59 on the Seattle Waterfront. I didn't have a tripod, but despite the 20mph wind, I was able to brace myself enough to take 1/4 to 1 second exposures. Some photos I took with a 2x teleconvertor for 400mm, but most were taken at 100-200mm with a Canon 10D and Canon EF 70-200mm F4L lens. I started shooting at ISO800, but realized that I was getting acceptable results at ISO100.
Comet McNaught at approx 400mm, ISO200, f/4, 1/3 second |
Comet McNaught at approx 150mm, ISO100, f/4, 1/2 second |
Comet McNaught at approx 180mm, ISO100, f/4, 0.7 second |