Comet McNaught has been gracing the northern hemisphere since August and has come to the southern hemisphere.
Local astronomers have said we will see it in SA from Sunday and it is here for the week.  Well since Sunday I have been scanning the sky towards sunset but have not seen it yet.  I think due to massive thunderstorm clouds which gather around dusk.  But i have just spoken to a lady who works next to me and she saw it last night (the only night I didn't watch!) she said it was so bright and brilliant.

The papers say, Comet McNaught (named after the Australian Robert McNaught) is among the brightest Comets the world has seen in the past century.

I wonder what Comets really are? I hope to see it tonight!

Well I saw it!!  :)

It was huge and close and bright and fast and spectacular!

It came out of the North West sky with the constellation of Aries in the background fairly close to the horizon.  If one had to put one's arm out slightly bent at the elbow and look at ones thumb top that was how big the bright white head was in relation to the sky. The sparkling tail was as big as the top of one's little finger.  And it was fast - 2 seconds in the sky - it was an arch of shooting light.  It was as if it made a jump and went down.

My sighting was at 20:33.  I had been scanning the sky since 18:45 (sunset here) First Venus came out - beautiful and then slowly all the other stars.  My youngest son was with me and he saw the Comet - chuffed he did.  Cos' the whole time he was saying 'you not going to see it, you not going to see it' and my oldest son kept teasing me 'there it is .. there it is'  ::) Pity my oldest went inside but at 20:33 the brightness of the movement caught our eye to the right of us and there it was.  I was actually looking straight West, directly above sunset, so that's how bright it was to immediately see from the corner of my eye.

I had my camera ready but it was 2 seconds and gone.  I'm looking to see if our local papers and sites have released anything (they haven't - for the week now) but I include a link.  The picture here is not as close and big as I saw it.

I saw Hale-Bopp in 1997 that was also spectacular - much further away though then this one and Hale-Bopp lasted in the sky for a good 10 minutes into the distance.  Comet McNaught reminded me of the pictures you see in astrology books with the huge shooting star in the background.  It did almost look like a graphic in the sky!

Wow  :)

http://www.saao.ac.za/public-info/comet-mcnaught/

I just checked it out from your link.  How cool is that?  :o  I'd love to see a comet.

I've seen a few meteor showers, they seem to happen here frequently, once every two years or something like that.  The news stations always alert people so we can try and catch one.  The bad part is that they're always in the wee hours of the morning.  >:(

Thanks for sharing this!  I'm so jealous ya'll were able to see it!!

Katie  :)