<p><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hi all :-)</span></span><br>
</p>
<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a title="photo sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/plakboek/366995934/"><img style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/115/366995934_40e1137b51_m.jpg">
</a> <br> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> </span><div align="center"><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/plakboek/366995934/">Comet McNaught from Melbourne, Australia
</a></span><br><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> </span></div></div>I managed to see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_mcnaught">Comet McNaught</a>.
On previous evenings we have had to fight bushfire smoke or torrential
rain. This evening it looked much better so we drove directly after
sunset to the Sky High Observatory on the summit of Mt Dandenong. To
our surprise, a small crowd of observers had already gathered on the
steps.<br>
<br>
The Comet tail spread for about a 10 degrees upwards,
increasing in length as the twilight ended and the sky darked to a dull
burnt orange colour.<br>
<br>
I took some pictures of the McNaught Comet
looking South West from the summit. It was tricky to get the correct
aim with people walking in front of the camera and cars driving past
with their headlights. I firmly held my little Cannon A520 digital
camera on a safety rail for a 15 second long exposure. I later slightly
cropped, adjusted, corrected the pictures for digital noise, contrast
and saturation.<br>
<br>
You can view my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/plakboek/tags/cometmcnaught/show/">small Comet McNaught image slide show </a>and
one of the city scape. Of course they pale into the sunset compared
with some other high quality snaps taken by the following.<br>
<ul><li>Niel Creek (former student) has published some splendid and entertaining photographs <a href="http://neil.creek.name/gallery/v/other/astro/">here on his deviant art website</a>.</li><li>The Siding Spring Observatory in Australia has some
<a href="http://msowww.anu.edu.au/%7Ermn/C2006P1.htm">splendid pictures of the comet tail</a> and background info.<br></li><li><a href="http://astroblogger.blogspot.com/">Astroblogger</a> has posted some good images from around Australia and New Zealand of this great
<span class="st" name="st">comet</span>.</li></ul>
Hope you are all in good health and managed to have a great break :-)<br>
<br>
Regards Roland<br>
<br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Roland Gesthuizen - ICT Coordinator - Westall Secondary College<br><a href="http://www.westallsc.vic.edu.au">http://www.westallsc.vic.edu.au</a><br><br>"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has." --Margaret Mead