McNaught's Comet - or maybe not???

It's not much, it's only at 200mm, and this is an extreme crop, but it's kinda cool lookin'. I got this Sunday morning at Chanticleer Point.

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL
1/14/2007 7:43:59 AM
Tv( Shutter Speed )
1/8
Av( Aperture Value )
8.0
ISO Speed
100
Lens
70.0 - 200.0 mm
Focal Length
200.0 mm

weird and cool

Now I'm beginning to wonder about this... I assumed when I saw it that it must be the comet with some kind of atmospheric distortion... But after talking to a couple people, I shouldn't have been able to see it move, right? it was perceptively moving across the sky from north to south (left to right in the frame). Anyone with real knowledge of astronomy have a theory?

Must be a UFO.

Well I was thinking maybe a Sky Train...

Its Venus Dude!

What's with the wavy tail though??

Curtis,
We saw the same thing in the Western sky on the way to the Washington coast on Sunday.
At the time, we wondered if it could be the comet, but then thought it looked like an odd shaped contrail or cloud just sitting there in the sky.
Harald

The comet is long gone. last evening to really see it was Friday the 12th.

I thought Venus first because I thought maybe Curtis moved the camera...I'm stupid though, the trees aint movin. I have no clue what it is.

Eric, it still could have been camera movement. The object (most likely Venus - check out the sky chart at http://skytonight.com/observing/ataglance) is very bright and a little movement of the camera will cause the bright object to "smear" easily on the sensor. The trees, being dark, would take quite a bit more in a long exposure to show out. At least that's my take on it...

Curtis, I went out to shoot it the night after I saw it in the paper. Couldnt find it. Went to happy hour at Parker House Restaurant on the Columbia the next night and about 20 Min after sunset it poped up below and to the right of venus and slowly sunk into the columbia in about 15Min. Moved at the same speed as the sunset. Tail was very misty as you would expect a comet to be. Of course the camera was at home, but had the whole bar over at the windows.

I guarantee it's not camera shake. the camera was on the tripod, and this is also what it looked like to the naked eye... It ain't camera shake. Now you guys got me really curious. I don't think venus is that big...

Also, this is the eastern sky... isn't the comet supposed to be in the west?

Ok, just checked your original message and saw that this was a morning shot. That means that you are correct that it couldn't have been Venus, but Jupiter is in the southeastern sky at dawn so it was possibly that.

As far as camera shake... was it windy? Beyond that I can't explain the "smear".

UFO???

How long did it stay this way Curtis?

This is freaking weird. I have no explanation. Ya know, my brother has been known to shoot mermaids in the sky before.

it was visible for roughly 2 minutes, and there was barely perceptible left to right motion. I think Erik figured it out though... it's one of Rick's mermaids...