Comet Neowise

Did you get a chance to see it?? Comet Neowise has come and gone, and was visible in the Northern Hemisphere. I wrote this post over a week ago, but then went on vacation for a few days and never had a chance to publish it.  Anyway, early on, you had to get up around 4AM and catch it before sunrise in the NE sky. As it moved lower and lower on the horizon, you lost the ability to see it in the morning hours, and it became visible in the early evening in the NW sky. It's been steadily climbing higher in the horizon and becoming harder and harder to see.

I've seen some incredible photos of the comet. Here's one by photographer Jack Fusco, taken from the earthsky.org web site.

Many of us would see photos like this, posted on social media, and think "WOW, I gotta get out there and see this thing!", not realizing it doesn't look nearly this spectacular in real life. Taking long exposure photos allows the camera to "see" and capture the comet much better than the human eye. In fact, Neowise is classified as a "binocular" comet, meaning you need binoculars to view it. I read a lot of posts on FB by frustrated people going out to photograph it, binoculars in hand, and not being able to find it. So yes, difficult to see with the naked eye, especially if you are not in a dark sky area.

I decided I had to at least try to see it for myself, although I was late in my attempt and Neowise was past its prime. On 7/22/20, I wandered out into the middle of nowhere (Joshua Tree Wilderness Area) to an arch I like to photograph. My "Big Plan" was to get a dramatic shot of the comet swooping over the arch. I could see it in my minds eye, but I knew it was a long shot. My batting average for "Big Plan" night photography is pretty poor, but you gotta keep swinging, right? Would I even be able to find the arch? And if so, I would have to get just the right angle to get both the arch and the comet in the viewfinder.

The crescent moon was keeping me company on this particular night, slowly setting in the NW, just a little west of where I was expecting to see the comet.

I positioned myself behind the arch so that I would be shooting in the NW direction. Reports said the comet should be visible shortly after sunset, just below the big dipper. The photo above was taken a little after sunset. No comet visible. No stars visible. No big dipper visible. Guess I'll sit down and wait for the sky to darken.

With nothing better to do, I sat under the arch, contemplated nature, and took a couple photos. World affairs slowly vanished from my mind.

As the sky slowly darkened, I used a couple LED lights to light up the arch. Still no Neo, but it was a perfect desert night. Warm, not a cloud in the sky, no wind, and excellent visibility. And then something really weird happened... Along Highway 62, just after dark, what looked like a police cruiser (or perhaps an ambulance?) was heading east with siren blaring and lights flashing. Very strange because it wasn't going fast at all, and there is nothing in this area... no towns, no people, and only a rare stray car on the highway. No reason to be using your siren. The closest town is 40 miles in the opposite direction (29 Palms). Just open desert for many miles in the direction this vehicle was traveling. Then it crossed my mind, may be he was looking for me! Perhaps a motorist saw my lights out in the middle of the desert and assumed I was lost and/or crazy and in need of help. Nope, he kept driving. And if that's not weird enough...

A few minutes later, along comes a huge convoy of vehicles, all lit up in different colors. They are moving something REALLY BIG. Sorry about the over-exposed arch, but I only had time to turn my camera on the tripod and click. On a highway where you rarely see anyone, this looked like a circus! I was prepared to see UFOs flying overhead at any moment. What it was and where they were taking it is another on my long list of desert mysteries. Oh, and if you look really closely in the top left of the photo, you might just be able to make out Comet Neowise! It looks like a star with a faint tail.

As I switch from wide angle to short telephoto lens to better capture the comet, it becomes obvious that Neo is too high in the sky for me to get both the comet and the arch in the same shot. Dang!! I was afraid that might happen. But I was able to get a nice shot of the setting crescent moon over the arch.

Same shot in b&w. It feels stark and cold to me. Almost like a different planet. I took two photos (without moving my camera off the tripod): One focused on the arch and the second focused on the moon, and then combined them. The goal being to get everything in sharp focus.

And I was able to get a couple shots of Neowise traveling through space on a beautiful desert night. What a fun opportunity!

I had been looking to the NW sky all night. After taking these shots, I turned around to view the night sky to the south and it took my breath away. The Milky Way was fully visible, and arching over the top of Scorpius Arch! I packed up my gear and set up on the opposite side of the arch to capture the view looking south.

Didn't get a chance to see Neo? Well, there's good news and bad news. Good news first: It will be visible again in the future. Now the bad news: Not until the year 8,786. Bummer!

Linking with Skywatch Friday.

Thanks for stopping by!

Stay safe. Stay healthy.