My lovely wife Stacey, our two children, and myself braved the cold and gusty winds to get this photo of Comet McNaught over the coastal mountain range tonight. Stacey took this photo at about 1500′ elevation along Highway 32 on a turnout near Forest Ranch. This was about 15 minutes after sunset, about 5:18PM. The sky was an orange glow over the coastal mountains due to dust in the atmosphere. This was with a telephoto lens looking across the Sacramento Valley direct over Chico and zoomed on the coastal range.
The comet was easily visible to the naked eye. It was a once in a lifetime spectacular sight as this comet won’t be seen again in our lifetime. It may be visible again Saturday evening, but will be even closer to the sun, making photography difficult because it will be so low on the horizon.