Comet McNaught

This isn't exactly he-man night photography, but neither are lunar eclipses, so I'm posting it anyway...

(photo: Jens Hackmenn)

Comet McNaught is currently visible to the naked eye. It has surprisingly become the brightest comet of the decade (for those of us with creeping Alzheimer's disease, Hale-Bopp was last decade). Its brightness is proving to be difficult to predict, which seems to be working in everyone's favor.

It has become bright because it's very close to the sun (the warmth of the sun is key to a comet's brightness). Unfortunately, that means that it's only visible very close to sunrise and sunset. And you definitely won't see it next to the full moon. But if your night photography has given you even an inkling of interest in astronomy, Comet McNaught should be rewarding. And it may appear even brighter later this month.