StreetMorrisArt

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Rising Comet with Morning Star

​This mixed media painting was inspired by my sighting of C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) while in Avalon, California looking toward the mainland before sunrise.  As always, I packed my DSLR, lenses and binoculars, but no tripod because I can be an idiot at times.  I carried a sturdy chair from the hotel room to a high spot around 4AM accepting that I was being overly optimistic thinking it and a towel under my camera might reduce shutter shake enough for some long-ish exposures.  I captured the green dot in focus once there was sufficient light in the sky to shoot handheld at f/2.8 with a high ISO.  Still, the comet was there above the smog, more or less in the presence of ear-tipped feral cats and me before the din of golf carts and boat motors drowned out the lapping waves.

Robin Street-Morris. Rising Comet with Morning Star. Transparent watercolor and soft pastel on 300lb cold press paper. 14” x 21” (36 x 53cm)