Posted on 07/11/2020 1:05:49 PM PDT by dragnet2
Up until now, you had to get up at about 4:00 a.m. to view Comet Neowise. Weather permitting, now starting Sunday, July 12, 2020 it can been seen on the lower northwestern horizon during/after evening twilight.
Where to look?
It's going to be about 5 degrees above the north/northwestern horizon starting Sunday evening at about twilight. To determine what 5 degrees are, keep reading.
Hold your hand at arm’s length and close one eye, make a fist, with the back of your hand facing you. The width of your fist will approximately be 10 degrees. 5 degrees are about three fingers wide. If you have an unobstructed view to the northwestern horizon, your viewing should be very good.
The good news is each night the Comet continues moving a bit higher above the northwestern horizon, making it easier for millions of people to see it.
It's been estimated the best time to view the comet will be any early evening between July 14 through July 19th.
I strongly suggest using binoculars to locate and see the comet in better detail. Those with access to a hill, rooftop or any higher point with a clear view towards the northwest will have an advantage.
Bttt.
5.56mm
Thank you for the help.
Btt
My 16 year old tried to see it early this AM but it was too low and sun was coming up. We may go early tomorrow AM to the airport parking garage top deck to see if we can get a better glimpse.
You won’t see it in the early morning anymore. Starting tomorrow, it can only be viewed in the early evening/twilight, just after sundown.
“It’s going to be about 5 degrees above the north/northwestern horizon starting Sunday evening at about twilight.”
For those at what latitude?
Last week I tried to see the comet before dawn above the northeast horizon, and each time I tried there were just enough low clouds to obscure it. Hopefully I’ll have better luck in the dusk sky this coming week.
5 degrees tomorrow is a generalization or an estimate. Lets put it this way, it begins really low on the northwestern horizon at about sundown for most of the country. If you want exact coordinates for your specific location, there are lots of sites which will provide it for you.
That’s the deal with low horizon stuff. When we look towards the horizon, it’s looking through the thickest part of the atmosphere, where there is denser air, dust, fog, clouds, more land obstructions etc. It’s why astronomers who take images of deep space objects, it’s always better for them if possible to chose targets near zenith, or close to straight up, where the air or atmosphere is much thinner.
Good luck.
I saw a beautiful photo today of the comet above the Colorado National Monument. Amazing.
I saw it July 6 VERY early morning. Nice comet. Here’s more tips:
https://www.space.com/comet-neowise-july-2020-night-sky-forecast.html
Thank you for posting!
The problem is that when the comet is at the highest in the sky, zenith, it is around noon.
bkmrk
Get a look while ya can, it's only a matter of time before viewing comets is banned.
#10 was referring to deep space images, which are generally not considered to be comets that are located inside of our own solar system, such as this comet, during this time frame.
OK.
I am getting ready to post another APOD with a comet photo. I will ping you on it.
later
Great. There are some spectacular images out there. At about 3 miles in diameter, it’s pretty impressive watching the sun’s radiation and solar wind blast material off this comet, forming the large tail, or multiple tails.
And it won’t come around again for about 7,000 years.
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