Comet Photography from Mexico
These are some photos I've taken of comets. I travelled on a mission trip to Mexico, and it happened to co-incide with a lunar eclipse and a beautiful view of Hale-Bopp.
Comet Hale-Bopp
In the evening skies above Mesquital, Mexico. On the evening of March 23, 1997, an almost total eclipse of the moon was observed over the western portion of the Northern Hemisphere. The 92% coverage of the moon offered darkened skies and an excellent opportunity to photograph Hale-Bopp. You can faintly see the blue plasma ion tail above the yellow dust tail.
The comet is visible above a partially built house. Since I travelled to Mexico with a minimum of photo equipment, I strapped an Ultrapod mini-tripod onto a 2x4 fence post as a camera mount. The mount held the Nikon FE2 and 28-85mm F3.5-4.5 lens fairly well for the 20 second Kodak Royal Gold 1000 exposure.
Comet photography in Mexico can be deadly if not done carefully. While searching for a suitable site, I almost sat on a nest containing two female black widows. The red hourglass shape on the bottom of the abdomen is very distinctive. Needless to say, I gave thorough inspection to any night spot of my choosing.
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Updated: April 14, 2006
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