Comet Neowise (C/2020 F3): Anyone else seeing it?

Brian, yes! Lake Onalaska, from the little park/marina at the extreme north end of French Island. Ideal to see something near the horizon to the NNW. But be sure to put on some mosquito repellent. :slight_smile:

No problem if you miss it – it’s in orbit around the sun, so it will be back … in 6,800 years! That’s an astounding number because you can just barely get your mind around it, whereas other phenomena in the universe described in terms of millions or billions of years are just impossible to grasp. The last time Neowise swung by here, the building of the Egyptian pyramids was still thousands of years away, and whatever it was that we regard today as the birth of Christ was even more thousands of years in the future.

Saw it!

Around 10:30 PM, here. Towards horizon from the bowl of the Dipper, which is one of very few things I can recognize in the sky. But even with my eyes that is definitely a comet, tail and all. Clearer with binoculars, but faintly visible with just my glasses.

Viewable naked eye from even a semi-dark spot (it was very windy up on the ridge so no skeeters, and 4 degrees F cooler – it is only ~600 ft higher up). Jupiter and Saturn are out too. Can’t see it from my yard naked aye, but can see it with 8x42 binocs.

Brian

Took this tonight around the corner from our house in Williams, AZ:
(Image 2020-07-17 at 10.18.4...)

I took a ton of images, so when i get a chance to stack them, i’ll post back.

Nice – you can see both tails.

Brian

Got a great look at it here in SW Michigan. Could see it with the naked eye and an amazing view with high powered binoculars.

I’m asleep during the morning viewing time, and I’m always so involved in reading this forum that I forget to look for it in the evening. :frowning: Oh, well – it’s low on the horizon and there are so many trees and houses around that I probablt wouldn’t be able to see it anyway. I did get to see Hyakutake or Hale-Bopp – can’t remember which – though, so I have seen one.

We’ve got building clouds and haze here again. Well, maybe when I have to go in to work before dawn on Tuesday I’ll be able to get a glimpse.

Actually, it much higher than I expected from Stellarium. By tomorrow it should be easily visible at 9pm, even over the neighbor’s house. Here is an example I took yesterday, showing the horizon:
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It would be helpful if folks say where they are, because whether you’re in southern Texas or northern British Columbia makes a difference.

I am in Arizona. Those photos were taken in Williams, “Gateway to the Grand Canyon."

Southern CT.

Hale-Bopp was the one with the big tail. Hyakutake had no tail visible to the naked eye, and it was bright because it was close, so it was easily visible for only a night or two.

Saw it again with my binoculars (I’m in extreme SE Minnesota), but was too lazy to head out of town.
I wasn’t expecting it to be that clear (storms were predicted and in fact there was distant lightning)

Brian

That was it, then.

Didn’t look particularly cloudy when I went outside last night, but I could only see four or five stars. All in the wrong direction, though. :frowning:

Amazing photo, @beowulff!

Yes, great photo!

Here in central Arizona, its visible from my back porch starting around 9pm. I’ve also been out looking at 430 am because then folks are sleeping and their house lights are off. I’ve got a nice set of high powered binoculars and have convinced myself that I’ve seen the double tail.

That is a gorgeous photo, Beowulf. I wouldn’t think twice seeing it as an accompanying photo to an article in a magazine. Really well done.

Thank you.
I went out again last night and took a lot more. We just got back into the frying pan - I’ll post some of them when i get a chance to post-process them.