Did you sleep through the auroras of Dec. 14th? Next time get a wake-up call: Spaceweather PHONE.
VENUS & THE MOON: Yes, there is more to the heavens than Comet McNaught. On Saturday evening, Jan. 20th, Venus and the crescent Moon will gather together for a beautiful close encounter in the twilight glow of the setting sun. Don't miss it! [sky map]
EXTRAVAGANT TAIL: Last night "motorists in Bloemfontein, South Africa, stopped to look at a strange 'bush fire' on the horizon," reports photographer Gerrit Penning. "It turned out to be the extravagant tail of Comet McNaught!"
Even experienced astronomers have never seen anything like it--a sweeping fan of comet dust visible to the unaided eye despite city lights and twilight. Jamie Newman sends this picture from Auckland, New Zealand:
Photo details: Canon 350D, 75-300mm lens @ 300mm, 1600 ISO, f/5.6, 8 sec
Comet McNaught Photo Gallery
[finder chart] [ephemeris] [orbit] [comet binoculars]
Frequently asked questions: What makes the tail glow? Comet dust shines by reflected sunlight. Why is the tail curved? Because it traces the curved path of the comet's orbit around the sun.
The tail curves so much and stretches so far that it actually leads all the way back to the northern hemisphere where streamers can be seen glowing faintly in the western sky after sundown. "I wasn't really expecting to see anything," confesses Nejc Ucman of Novo Mesto, Slovenia, "but I went to a nearby hill tonight, looked west, and there it was!"
Photo details: Canon 300D; 18 mm lens, f/3.5, ~2 second exposure.
This marks the fourth night in a row that observers have spotted the comet's tail in northern skies. Dan Laszlo of the Northern Colorado Astronomical Society saw it on Jan. 17th and offers this advice: "Find the darkest sky you can and look west between one and two hours after sunset. A site where you can see zodiacal light would be best."
more images: from Rob Ratkowski of Maui, Hawaii; from Mary Laszlo of Wellington, Colorado; from Mila Zinkova of San Francisco; from Dan Laszlo of Wellington, Colorado; from Paul Robinson of Boulder, Colorado.