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MIRA AT MAXIMUM

The bright star above the rooftop is Mira (The Wonderful), a variable star which changes in brightness in less than a year. At its faintest a telescope is required to see the 10th magnitude star however on February 12th 2007 Mira was brighter than 3rd magnitude! Easy with the naked eye - Mira is at maximum earlier than predicted! It looks like a red Nova in breaking up the familiar pattern on Cetus which can be found in the south when darkness falls on February evenings. 15 sec exposure / ISO800 / 5X optical zoom.