McNaught was an extraordinary comet due to its apparent size. It is impressive to see a so bright and big comet with naked eye. Mauritz Geyser from Pretoria, South Africa took this widefield picture of McNaught tail. C/2006 P1 is the designation for this huge comet mostly visible from Southern Hemisphere. When brightest, it reached -6 magnitude, that is brighter than Venus. Its tail was up to 35 degrees of apparent size.

Mauritz Geyser is a member of ASSA, and he shares his astronomical interests with everybody. Congratulations, Mauritz.

by Mauritz Geyser on 2009-05-22 14:14:13 [Original Size] - [Next Image] - [Author's gallery]