Comet came to town

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It only pops over every 80,000 years so, it seemed rude not to give it a proper welcome to Edinburgh. Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS will be the most photographed comet ever from Planet Earth. I had to edit that last sentence to allow the possibility for other planets carrying lifeforms with enough smarts to also stand taking photos of comets (will they do it with their phones with the flash switched on like many of us do?)

I wasn’t sure if that was a crane there or a Space X comet retrieval device.
For those who have not visited Edinburgh (yet) this is the view from Calton Hill, the street at the bottom of the shot is Princes St and the red tower is the clock of the Balmoral Hotel.

The comet only became visible quite a while after sunset so I grabbed several hundred shots before it appeared.

The sun was casting a warm but waning light onto the stone of the National Monument as the moon rose behind it. Some people complain that the National Monument, an intended replica of the Parthenon in Athens, was never completed. Personally I love it the way it is - people climb all over it for sunrise and sunset, and it’s peek-a-boo-through which allows some funky shots from far away with the moon and the sun. This one below from the exact opposite side but miles away.

Tonight on Calton, the light was great for catching the city switch its lights on, as the glow from the sky eased, and oozed twilight colours across the historic skyline. This shot takes in Edinburgh Castle, the Hub spire and Camera Obscura with it’s purple light on the wee dome on the horizon. The green dome atop the lit building is the Bank of Scotland building on The Mound.

A wee bit of a delicious ensemble I think.

So here’s to you Comety friend, may you come to lighten our doors in another 80,000 years and I’m sincerely hoping that there are remaining humans to stand on a still-above-water Calton Hill and that they’re smart enough to switch off the flash on their imaging devices (pffft - aye right!)

I’m publishing this one at a daft time for Europe but hopefully good for the 11.34% of you in USA and Canada who follow my stuff.
Get yersels over here, c’mon, it’s paradise.

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