did you see the comet?
There were five comets visible to the naked eye in December 2004. Comet Machholz might still be visible from where you are.

In Pioneer Girl, Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote about a comet that appeared in the sky during the time she worked in town in De Smet. I used to think this was Encke's Comet, but there were actually two comets that were visible in Dakota in the early 1880s. Encke's Comet was one of them, visible in January 1884. It has an orbital period of 3.3 years, so it will be back in June 2006.

The other comet was the Great September Comet, visible from September 1882 until February 1883. It got brighter and brighter, and in October (when it really made the news in Dakota Territory), there were a dozen or more satellite comets also visible, and the main comet had a 30 degree tail.

The Aurora Borealis was also visible in the winter sky of De Smet in November 1882. Many a night here in Montana, I've sat outdoors for hours, bundled up in polarfleece and blankets, watching the sky. I've slept at the Ingalls Homestead a few times, too, and I've watched the night sky there. But I bet it was really something to see back in Laura's day...
- posted by pioneergirl at 9:32 PM