Comet over Scotland
Tabs please !
The comet was clearly visible from central London this evening at 16:50. Fantastic 
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Though what I assumed to be Venus was extremely bright, could that have been it. B Fraser, or any one from the same viewpoint - could you see both venus and McNaught clearly?
Tabs please !
I agree that the position was very close to where Venus would be expected to be (or even Mercury) however neither have a tail extended in the 1 o'clock position. I was standing on the roof of an office building and estimate that the comet was slightly less than 8 degrees above the horizon. The body of the comet was of comparable brightness to Venus. You may well have seen the comet as the tail was faint due to the background light.
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Right, as far as I'm concerned I saw it then! It certainly looked much brighter than I remember Venus as usually being. *tick*
And, if you saw the comet (confirmed by the tail) without noticing what I took to be venus - then what I took to be venus must have been McNaught as you wouldn't have missed what I saw.
And, if you saw the comet (confirmed by the tail) without noticing what I took to be venus - then what I took to be venus must have been McNaught as you wouldn't have missed what I saw.
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As seen from Stansted last night.
Not as good as Wednesday night due to more haze and cloud. Expected to be visible until the 14th and possibly being a daylight object by then!!
Not as good as Wednesday night due to more haze and cloud. Expected to be visible until the 14th and possibly being a daylight object by then!!
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According to Teletext in Spain, tonight was the last night visible ( I think in Northern hemisphere as opposed to Spain) I guess they mean from ground level maybe OK from F370? In any case, I had an excellent view from 1800-1900 local down here in Girona with my trusty old 8x30 bins. Initially I thought it was just a planet, but once I had found something to lean on and stabilise myself the trail was clearly visible sure enough in 1 - 2 o'clock position.They claimed it was now invisible for next 4 nights then becoming visible in Southern hemisphere but if it's a nice sunset again tomorrow I'll be out again just in case. It wasn't half bright though.
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One report said it is so bright you can see it at noon looking south and blocking out the sun with a building it was 5 degrees left of the sun, now even closer. In a few days it should be far enough to the right of the sun to see it better I would assume.
FYI McNaught is moving rapidly Southwards so we've had our best shot at it from the Northern hemisphere - For those in/heading for the Southern Hemisphere it may continue to brighten and become even more spectacular over the next few days.
If you are V carefull the coma ( the round bit at the front) it is visible in daylight, but it's best to "hide" from direct sunlight by getting just into the shadow of a building or similar and looking about 5 degrees to the East of the Sun..
If you are V carefull the coma ( the round bit at the front) it is visible in daylight, but it's best to "hide" from direct sunlight by getting just into the shadow of a building or similar and looking about 5 degrees to the East of the Sun..
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I haven't seen one for years - though I can believe about the trail of fire behind it. The last time I saw one was in its military re-incarnation as a Nimrod 
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It was visible to the naked eye from Sydney last night, and really clear through binoculars, but sadly the digital camera couldn't pick it up. We could see it for about 20min before it disappeared into the bushfire haze. Family in Canberra also got to see it for a brief time.
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Comets photograph quite well on a film camera. Just prop the camera so it can't move. Set it to B (Bulb), Focus at infinity, Press the shutter for 30 seconds or so. Try a few at 20, 40, 60 seconds. The last time I tried this you could see there were two tails on the photo (not sure about this comet).
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It's not unusual for comets to develop two tails. One is caused by the pressure of sunlight, and always points directly away from the sun. The other is the result of the charged particles known as the solar wind - magnetohydrodynamic effects may cause this to point in a quite different direction.
NB once the comet is moving away from the sun, the tail is in front of it (in the direction of motion).
NB once the comet is moving away from the sun, the tail is in front of it (in the direction of motion).
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Brightest last week in Perth, Western Australia...
It's first appearance last week above the horizon in the Southern Hemisphere was it's brightest. Clear sky and good weather in Perth with lots of people down the beaches at sunset watching the comet. We took two pairs of 7X50 binocs with us but didn't need them. The nucleus was like a bright star and the tail was huge! It was close to the sun immediately after sunset and just above the horizon. Magic, absolutely magic... perfect for that romantic cuddle after sunset overlooking a beautiful blue Indian Ocean... 
