The folks who have been following my blog for a while will know that Picture of the Week is rarely a picture from that week. This week, however, is an exception, as I’m calling an audible to share an image I captured last Sunday night.
Since earlier in the year, the 12P/Pons-Brooks comet has been making an appearance in our night sky, however until recently, it has been too dim to photograph easily (it is still not visible to the naked eye). As the comet has drawn nearer to the sun, its tail has become brighter and brighter, and it has passed by the Andromeda galaxy from our perspective here on Earth, making it an even more attract object to try to photograph.
With this in mind, last week my friend Ryan Yoder and I took off up to the Blue Ridge Parkway to try to get a good vantage point of the comet before it set, hoping also to be far enough away from the light pollution of Knoxville to have a cleaner view. The last hope was immediately dashed when we noticed a thin layer of haze floating above the mountains, which served to amplify the light pollution already present. We did get to photograph it though, and that was our highest objective. I thought the image turned out neat enough that I wanted to share it here with all of you. Also, here’s a link to what Ryan captured for you to check out as well.
More next week!
–Dan Thompson