At some 500 feet above Oxford City centre, and with no street lighting, Shotover Hill made an ideal spot for observing Comet Hale-Bopp during its spectacular approach to the Sun.

Not that it was the daylight object that this picture might imply!

The photograph was in fact taken near midnight, on the night of 24/3/97, with the house and its surroundings lit by the light of the full moon.

The tree to the right of the house is almost due north of the camera and most of Cassiopia is visible above the comet

Yes, I know it was a long time ago now, but I like this picture and it does show what the house looks like. So old news or not, I'm leaving it here!

For the technically minded the photographic conditions were:

• Lens: 55mm, f 1.8
• Exposure: 30 Seconds
• Film: 200 ISO