Vice-Chancellor moved to record 'majestic' celestial show

January 22, 2007

"Trevenna", the Vice-Chancellor's residence on the edge of the University of New England campus, is in an excellent position for viewing the night sky. It has allowed the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alan Pettigrew, to gain an awe-inspiring view of Comet McNaught.

Professor Pettigrew, who has a strong interest in both astronomy and photography, took a series of spectacular photographs of the comet from "Trevenna" between 8.45 and 9.10 pm on the evenings of Friday 19 and Saturday 20 January. One of them is displayed here. (The image at right expands into the complete photograph.)

Professor Pettigrew has had a life-long interest in astronomy, but was still unprepared, he said, for the "absolute beauty" of Comet McNaught. "To see something like that in the sky – the changing colours, and the tail curving away beyond it – is a truly memorable experience," he said. "Such a majestic sight also makes you realise how small and vulnerable we all are here on planet Earth."

He said his fascination with astronomy began when, as a child, he listened to his father talk of his experiences as an Air Force navigator during World War II. "I was fascinated by the fact that they had to navigate by the stars," he said. This early enthusiasm for astronomy developed into a more general interest in science, which led eventually to a distinguished career in medical research.

"One of the advantages of living in Armidale is the clarity with which you can see the stars," Professor Pettigrew said. "And the comet has appeared at the perfect time of day – against the setting sun." He used a variety of telephoto techniques – and a variety of exposure times – to capture the spectacle.

"I've never seen anything in the sky to compare with this," he said, "even though I saw Halley's Comet from a couple of vantage points in 1986."

Associate Professor David Lamb, a UNE physicist, said that Comet McNaught was the brightest comet to have been seen in Australian skies in more than 40 years. "It's best observed at sunset," he said, "and is one of very few comets that can be seen by the naked eye in daylight. Its head is brighter than Venus (the 'Morning' and 'Evening Star') and its tail stretches from near the horizon half-way up to the zenith."

Dr Lamb said that the comet was 140 million kilometres from Earth, and had a head that was bigger than Mount Everest and a tail that stretched 30 million kilometres into space.

Below: more images of the Comet McNaught taken by Professor Pettigrew. Click on the thumbnail to see a larger image.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at January 22, 2007 05:58 PM