I guess this is a nature shot! This is a quick processing; I'll replace it with a nicer one in a day or two. This comet is naked-eye bright, even in the city, even with the moon out! Go out NOW (Mon. 10:30 EDT) and look to the northeast, between Polaris (north star) and Pleaides (Seven Sisters). It will look like anything from a blurry star to a fuzzy dot naked eye, but will come alive in binos. This is a quick shot with a 400mm lens.

It's most likely to dim; it's very bright for a comet (magnitude 2 or so) and was spectacular from suburbia before the moon rose.

Hey Ken,

Very interesting photo, thanks for sharing. I went looking last night for the comet but could not find it. LOL, I could not find the 7 sisters either. Some of that may have to do with the Manhattan sky though. My ability to see stars is often very compromised (at least the astrological types).

James

While the Pleaides may be a bit dim, if you can find Capella, a bright star, you can find the comet!

Kenny - Nice shot. What were the other parameters besides the 400mm lens? Thanks for posting such a cool pic.

BTW, here's a link with more info and some images: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/home/10862521.html
The unusual cloud around the comet is due to a sudden unexpected eruption of dust that is being lit by the sun. It suddenly increased in brightness by about a million times on 10/24/07 and is expected to remain visible for a couple of weeks. There is some speculation that it's shape may change again. It has been called "the strangest comet to appear in our lifetime." Pretty interesting stuff!

I used a Canon EOS-20D, EF-400L f/5.6 lens wide open, manual focus, ISO's from 400 to 3200, manual exposure on "B". So I don't know the exact settings for that one shot!
I'm gonna shoot through a telescope this weekend (1050mm f/4.5) and see what I can get.

... and this comet may have brightened! I also shot the Pleaides. These shots are unguided, with my clock driven scope aligned to parallel earth's axis only very roughly (to counteract rotation and "star trails"). With a bit more preparation these shots could be greatly improved.

COOL!