A Burnham-On-Sea photographer has this week taken these photos of a comet in the skies above the town.
Stuart Anderson managed to capture comet ‘C/2011 L4 PanSTARRS’ in almost clear skies above the Bristol Channel as it graced the western horizon.
The comet – which is a mere 93million miles away – is currently visible at dusk and was snapped here on Monday evening at 7.50pm from the beach.
Stuart told Burnham-On-Sea.com it is an amazing sight to see.
“It is visible about an hour after sunset in the west. You need binoculars to see it clearly – it looks like a white smudge in the sky, with the trail pointing upwards away from the sun,” he said. “My photos look better because they’re taken at a long exposure to capture more light.”
Burnham astronomer Greg Dye-Hodge Beardsley added that the comet should continue to be visible in coming days, providing any cloud cover doesn’t obscure the view. “The comet is begining to fade visually and by March 21st will be visible only with optical aids. On April 4th the comet will be close to the Andromeda Galaxy and should present a splendid viewing opportunity in a telescope or in 10X50 binoculars.” Further details are available on Greg’s website here.
