Comet NEOWISE Below the Big Dipper APOD 7/18/2020
Astronomy Picture of the Day 7/18/2020: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200718.html
Where exactly is Comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE located in the night sky? Below the Big Dipper! This panoramic image taken from Los Padres National Forest, CA on 7/16/2020 around 10:30pm serves as a handy guide on where to spot the comet in the sky.
Comet NEOWISE has now moved into the evening sky for northern observers, making it much more logistically easy to view. Throughout the next week it will steadily climb up and to the left of where it is in this image, climbing higher in the sky and to the west. The next week will be the best opportunity to see this comet before it retreats into the outer solar system, it's closest approach to Earth will be next Thursday 7/23. After next Thursday the Moon will begin to move into the evening sky and it's brightness will start to wash out Comet NEOWISE. Not to worry! There's plenty of time and if you are able to get to a dark sky spot you won't be disappointed. From rural Bortle 3-4 skies I could easily make out the comet and about 5 degrees of its tail with the unaided eye, through a pair of binoculars it's really something!
Here's how to find dark skies by you: darksitefinder.com/maps/world.html#4/39.00/-98.00
Here's a handy guide on how to spot Comet NEOWISE: www.nasa.gov/feature/how-to-see-comet-neowise
Technical Info:
Panoramic Image 3x 13sec @6400 ISO
Los Padres National Forest, CA 7/16/2020 10:50pm PDT
Canon 6D Hutech UV/IR mod
Rokinon 35mm f1.4 lens @ f2.2
Post Processed in PTGui and Photoshop CC