Last night we went comet hunting.. I would like to share the 19 lessons we learnt about hunting comet McNaught…

Shane
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1) Just because you know where it should be, doesn’t mean you wont spend 20 min looking for it in slightly the wrong place. We were armed with compasses, star maps, rules of thumb, other pictures and some basic star knowledge. Yet somehow we were looking in the wrong patch of sky.

2) Make friends with the locals – you never know when it will come in handy…

3) When you show the locals the comet, have a pre-prepared answer for ‘whoa, whats that’.

4) “Its a comet” is not a valid answer to the above, you will then be asked “whats that bro?”.

5) “Its a rock flying through space going to crash into the sun” IS the easiest answer.

6) Be prepared to be disappointed that your camera doesn’t capture it at the same size you remember it… especially when its still bright because your too impatient to wait any longer.

7) If you plan on taking your partner with you when you go to take photos, then make sure you go somewhere with wildlife for them to play with. And when they produce a crab to show you, forget about the fact you have just set everything to manual and focused exactly on the stars, just undo those settings and get a crab photo – its the sort of photo that will really make you smile.

8) Don’t forget to redo the settings, other wise your first 8 shots of stars will be very blurry…

9) Recharge your batteries and empty your memory card before leaving home. Your memory card will suddenly be full at the worst possible moment.

10) A long exposure may seem the perfect solution to darkness, but remember that comets are actually a moving object – your comet will come out oblong…

11) If you have to be somewhere, and you find yourself saying “just one more”, you are already very late and should leave now.

12) Make sure you keep your eyes open as you look for a spot to take photos… make sure you look for gates.

13) The gates are locked at 9!!! Make sure you a) saw the gates and b) checked the time they are locked BEFORE you get locked in.

14) If you find the locals you made friends with, they will be more than happy to try and break the lock open for you…

15) If they fail, just swallow your pride and call Armour Guard to come let you out (as no matter how hard you try you will not be able to move the boulder that blocks the path around the gate).

16) The best photo you get of the night will clearly include the evidence of a locked gate, and stuck car, and comet and a girlfriend who’s laughing at you.

17) Once your car is freed, be careful about turning it around on a remote road that has ditches on either side…

18) If you do attempt turning your car around, be prepared. Make sure you know how to refit a displaced muffler in the dark without any tools… It also pays to know how to treat mild burns…

19) Just keep smiling, once its all over you will find it funny!