Cactus Moon. Desert Comet.

It was another fine evening of comet and Moon watching from the desert near Tucson, Arizona. As the evening began the Moon appeared before the comet did. Here it is paired with a saguaro cactus:

Canon 3Ti, ISO 1600, f/5.6, 200mm, 0.5 second

 Last night the Moon was quite near the comet. By tonight the Moon had moved away, yet it was still just close enough to catch it in the same shot as Comet PanSTARRS:

Canon 3Ti, ISO 1600, f/5.6, 55mm, 2 seconds

Can you see the comet in the shot above? It is between the saguaro and the tree to the right of it. Here is a zoomed photo taken a short while later:

Canon 3Ti, ISO 1600, f/5.6, 200mm, 2 seconds

After the comet dropped too low, I took another shot of the crescent Moon with beautiful earthshine. I've cropped the full frame here:

Canon 3Ti, ISO 1600, f/5.6, 200mm, 0.5 seconds

If you haven't yet been out to catch the comet, make a plan to do so soon. Remember, it is low in the western sky. Look a 1/2 hour after sunset. While it is visible to the unaided eye, using binoculars will make it much easier to find.