Time For Comet-Hunting!

Here is the link to the Astronomy magazine article:

https://astronomy.com/news/2020/07/comet-c2020-f3-neowise-springs-a-naked-eye-surprise

(Plain Text Version)

We are finally in the right position to greet a visitor from the dark, icy fringes of the solar system.  Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) has survived its close encounter with the Sun, and is now approaching our planet.  We have countless reports that it is great to observe with a telescope, binoculars, or the naked eye.

Rather than retelling the story, I recommend the link to an article from Astronomy magazine.

Morning Comet…Invisible…Evening Comet…Departure

Right now, NEOWISE is visible just above the horizon in the morning twilight.  You will need a site with a clear view of the horizon to the Northeast.  The bright yellow star, Capella, will be just above the comet.  The best time to look is a bit tricky.  Since it is near the Sun, it won’t rise until about 2 hours before sunrise.  It will get higher with time, but the sky will be getting brighter.  So, somewhere in the middle is the best time to catch this object.  I would recommend starting about 1-1/2 hours before sunrise, and checking the area every 5 minutes.

After a few more days NEOWISE won’t be visible because it will rise with the Sun.  Around July 15, it will begin to be visible in the Northwest after sunset.  It’s setting time will be later each day, making observation much more easy.  But, there is another catch…the comet will start moving away from us, so it will start losing brightness and detail.

Safety First.

In the morning, one must be careful not to look at the Sun through a telescope or binoculars, even briefly.  One way to avoid this would be to set an alarm for 20 minutes before sunrise.  This would be the signal to stop observing (the sky would be too bright anyway).

Happy comet hunting!