Comet NEOWISE visible in the Northern Hemisphere July 2020

[deluxestogie]

Back in the summer of 1997, my oldest brother and I hiked up to a bald on the ridge of the Appalachians that separates Virginia from West Virginia, to see Comet Hale-Bopp. It was dazzling and memorable. There hasn't been a really bright one since...until now.

Comet NEOWISE has made it around the sun, and is presently headed back out of the solar system. It's been visible (and photographed) just before sunrise. But starting 11 July, it will become visible above the horizon just after sunset. If you check the WeatherUnderground.com 10-day forecast for your specific location, the graph will show the probable cloud cover for each day and night for 10 consecutive days. Look for a sunset with the least cloud cover. Have a look just after sunset, between the NNW and due North, just below the Big Dipper. The comet should be visible between 10 and 25° above the horizon, appearing higher with each passing day. (The width of your fist at arms length is roughly 10°.) If you can find the Big Dipper, you should be able to spot Comet NEOWISE. The "tail" will point away from the location of the sun.

This calls for a lawn chair and a cigar (and maybe DEET).

Bob

 

[Radagast]

Cool

 

[deluxestogie]

Just remember that as the clock ticks after sunset on a given night, the comet as well as the sun sink lower and lower. Don't be tardy.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

I watched the NNW horizon after sunset last night--for about an hour. Once I could actually see stars, I couldn't spot the comet. My view of that horizon is obscured by about 5° of hill, and the evening haze (and neighbors' lights and lightning bugs and passing cars) made it a bit trying. But I positioned my lawn chair where I would have a clear shot. The evening twilight cloud forecast looks optimal for Tuesday evening.

I also awakened at 4:30 am today, and stumbled out to my driveway, where I sat on a foam mat for an hour, watching the NNE horizon prior to dawn. It's too humid, and the morning haze became increasingly opaque as the temperature approached its low for the night. Just identifying a few constellations proved challenging. So...Tuesday night it is.

Bob

 

[Radagast]

It's been cloudy here and looks like it will be until Friday but I'll be watching too.

 

[Knucklehead]

It's been cloudy here and looks like it will be until Friday but I'll be watching too.

I’m getting some desperately needed rain right now. Should move out soon, I’ll take a peek later.

 

[plantdude]

For you space nuts I have a good site worth checking out :

Chandra X-ray Observatory - NASA's flagship X-ray telescope

One of my relatives has been involved in this project pretty much since its inception. It's basicaly the X-ray version of the Hubble telescope and has garnered a lot less attention than the Hubble telescope in the mainstream media. It's been a bit more reserved for the astrophysics nerds, that's not to say it not noteworthy though Chandra has made some pretty neat discoveries over the years and there are some pretty cool pictures on the website, it's worth a look.

 

[deluxestogie]

I think I've completed a 3 credit hour course on sitting in the chill night air, squinting at a hazy sky, and failing to see that damn comet. Three long sessions is my max. I'm dropping out of the skywatcher club. I really hope you guys have (had) better luck. I'm suspecting that every spectacular image of NEOWISE on the Internet has been the product of telescopic photography, with long exposures and subsequent "enhancement" in a photo editing application. Or, maybe it's just all my ambient light pollution. Bob isn't about to get in the car, and drive to a remote area late at night, even without a pandemic, just to see an underpowered blur in the night sky.

I knew a real comet (Hale-Bopp) in 1997. No squinting or puzzlement for that experience. This one seems to be a Hale-Flopp. It can just kiss my asstronomical.

Bob the Sleep Deprived

 

[plantdude]

It's

I think I've completed a 3 credit hour course on sitting in the chill night air, squinting at a hazy sky, and failing to see that damn comet. Three long sessions is my max. I'm dropping out of the skywatcher club. I really hope you guys have (had) better luck. I'm suspecting that every spectacular image of NEOWISE on the Internet has been the product of telescopic photography, with long exposures and subsequent "enhancement" in a photo editing application. Or, maybe it's just all my ambient light pollution. Bob isn't about to get in the car, and drive to a remote area late at night, even without a pandemic, just to see an underpowered blur in the night sky.

I knew a real comet (Hale-Bopp) in 1997. No squinting or puzzlement for that experience. This one seems to be a Hale-Flopp. It can just kiss my asstronomical.

Bob the Sleep Deprived

It's all photoshop man, all photoshop

 

[Knucklehead]

This is pretty neat. The comet streaking past Stonehenge.

 

[GreenDragon]

I have a sudden urge to dance naked under the stars and moon tonight! But... I'll resist and just have a cigar instead.

 

[Knucklehead]

I have a sudden urge to dance naked under the stars and moon tonight! But... I'll resist and just have a cigar instead.

We would appreciate it.

 

[deluxestogie]

I've actually read articles about photographers using two superimposed photos for that comet: one exposed for the ground and structures, the other exposed for the otherwise impossible to see comet, then using procedural masking to integrate the two into a truly glorious (and deceptive) image of the comet over a landmark. If the landmark is just a silhouette, like the Stonehenge image, then it may be legit, but not as the eye would see the scene.

Bob

 

[Radagast]

I've been struggling too, light pollution is washing it out here. The led streetlight across the street from me is right under the big Dipper and pretty much not helping at all.

 

[plantdude]

I can't see through the cloud of mosquitoes...

 

[GreenDragon]

I was able to spot the comet tonight from my suburban neighborhood using a pair of binoculars at 9:35 pm. It’s pretty low in the sky so you have to find a North facing area free of trees. Find the Big Dipper, look at the bottom left star and draw a line straight down to the horizon. Hold your arm straight out, stick out your thumb and point it sideways. Move up the sky three thumbs along the imaginary line. That’s approximately the area of the sky to look at. Tomorrow it will be slightly higher and to the west of that point.

And remember, keep looking up!

 

[deluxestogie]

Binoculars are not my kind of comet. NEOWISE has earned a place on my list of overhyped astronomical media events.

Bob

 

[plantdude]

Funny how the words "overhyped" and "media" go together in the same sentence so well.

 

[deluxestogie]

In the absence of someone going door to door, to discuss events, "media" (newspapers, radio, TV, tobacco forums) provide a more efficient alternative. Duh.

 

[GreenDragon]

I will admit it was a little under-whelming. Being so low in the sky "seeing" is poor due to the distortion of the atmosphere and skyglow/light pollution. But next week it will be higher for better viewing.

I still enjoyed the challenge of finding it in the sky. I also enjoy that magical little thrill when, as the sky glow slowly fades after sunset, suddenly, between one minute and the next, an object suddenly pops into view, no longer obscured by the remnant glow of refracted sunlight. It was a fun 30 minute distraction from the daily grind.