Photography
McNaught's Comet (January 2007)
This is a page I should have posted a long time ago. McNaught's Comet was a really spectacular after the flop of Halley's Comet in the 80s.
Unfortunately, the weather did not play along with during the period when the comet's viewing was at its best — heavy cloud on the western horizon.
The view west from my house
We did eventually get clear weather towards the end of January, while the comet was still visible.
Unfortunately, I did not grab my tripod in the rush to leave the house, so I had to use the roof of my my bakkie to support the camera — some of the shots are not as good as they should have been. These pictures were all taken with a Canon 350D and a Sigma 50-500mm lens.
The western horizon from Klapperkop
There were many people wanting to view the event!
The first sighting
Manual, t=1/25s, F/6.3, ISO=1600, f=500mm
Another view
Manual, t=1/20s, F/6.3, ISO=1600, f=116mm
The following were taken three days later, still without a tripod!
A view with the suburbs of Centurion in the foreground
Manual, t=30s, F/8, ISO=200, f=50mm
Another view with Centurion in the forground
Manual, t=30s, F/8, ISO=200, f=50mm
A final shot
Manual, t=30s, F/8, ISO=200, f=50mm
Unfortunately, urban light pollution did play a major role in these pictures, but it was still an event I was very happy to be able to see.
(updated: 6 May 2026)
Back to Photography
