252p 20160319 1800 mmatti

252P LINEAR.
2016 Mar 19.75 UT; m1= 4.5 ; Dia= >60’; DC= 3...Naked eye [Michael Mattiazzo, Swan Hill, Vic, Australia]
[observation made after moonset. Comet appears as a large circular haze over 2 Moon diameters wide. In focus comet compared to out of focus stars using my pair of glasses. Comparable to Delta Octans. Fainter than Gamma Cha, brighter than Eps Cha. Distance to Earth = 5.5 million kms]
In this photo, the comet appears about 3 degrees to the right of the south celestial pole. The comet is now heading rapidly northwards but is likely to fade as quickly as it rose to prominence. 
Photo details: single 3 minute exposure using a canon 60Da + canon 35-70mm EF US ISM lens at 35 mm.
You can see the Small Magellanic Cloud with globular cluster 47 Tuc at lower left, whilst the milky way region of Musca and Carina is at upper right