Picture This – Dazzling Comet Across A Starry Sky

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Mr. Vicious

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A huge flash streaks across the night sky in this amazing photograph of Comet Lovejoy. (The Sun)

It was caught on camera as it passed over Poocher Swamp Game Reserve, near Adelaide, by photographer Wayne England.

Wayne, 40, who is a member of the Astronomical Society of South Australia, said he first heard about the comet travelling close to Earth in December and spent several nights lying in wait at 4am trying to catch a glimpse.

He said: “Each night I travelled 9km out of the town to my favourite site, Poocher Swamp because of the dark sky, water and reflections of the stars in them water.

“The comet looked amazing when I first saw it. It was so bright and large in the pre-dawn sky.

“It had two tails, one curving slightly away from the other at the top. It was like a beacon or a laser shooting up into the sky.

“I’m so glad I saw it when it was so bright and on subsequent nights because it faded fast over several days.

“This was of course the best time to take photos of it and because it was moving relatively fast – you could see the amount it had moved each night.”