The Kincaid place, awaiting nightfall.


A postcard from perihelion: late in the evening of March 31, 1997 (EST), after falling for a thousand years, the comet rounded the Sun. Closest approach to the Sun came about two hours after I snapped this picture, after the comet had set. In cold and gusting wind, the sky here was unsteady but wonderfully transparent. It was tough to split the four stars of the Trapezium but even telescopic novices could see the spiral structure of the Whirlpool Galaxy -- both are surprising in a 5-inch refractor. This photo was made with a 55mm lens piggybacked under the telescope while it was being used visually by a crowd of friends (exposure: about 2 minutes, F3.5, HG-400).

Who's complaining about the wind and cold? Here's the last paroxysm of this king hell bitch of a season: McCrae Meadows, Grandfather Mountain, just eight hours earlier and 40 miles away. Does this look like stargazing weather to you?