APOD: Comet NEOWISE over Lebanon (2020 Jul 07)

[APOD Robot]

Comet NEOWISE over Lebanon

Explanation: A comet has suddenly become visible to the unaided eye. Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) was discovered in late March and brightened as it reached its closest approach to the Sun, inside the orbit of Mercury, late last week. The interplanetary iceberg survived solar heating, so far, and is now becoming closer to the Earth as it starts its long trek back to the outer Solar System. As Comet NEOWISE became one of the few naked-eye comets of the 21st Century, word spread quickly, and the comet has already been photographed behind many famous sites and cities around the globe. Featured, Comet NEOWISE was captured over Lebanon two days ago just before sunrise. The future brightness of Comet NEOWISE remains somewhat uncertain but the comet will likely continue to be findable not only in the early morning sky, but also next week in the early evening sky.

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[orin stepanek]

I was going to go outside and look for Comet Neowise
this morning; but alas, the3 sky was very overcast!
Thank goodness for photographers!

[BDanielMayfield]

Has anyone been able to see this comet with your own eyes yet?

[hamilton1]

Has anyone been able to see this comet with your own eyes yet?

A lot depends on your location. From rural skies the comet was reported as 'easily visible' with the naked eye (by Nick James of the BAA) whereas from less favored locations it requires averted vision. Photographs will give a somewhat misleading impression as the camera stores the light and makes the comet seem brighter. The tail requires binoculars in order to be clearly seen. I've not it yet myself unfortunately due to clouds, later in the week hopefully.

[Chris Peterson]

Has anyone been able to see this comet with your own eyes yet?

Saw it very easily this morning. Didn't need to start with binoculars or even know where to look. At 4am in the northeast it was glaringly obvious- a bright star with a long tail. By 4:30, against a lighter sky, it was even more apparent, curiously. It should be visible from anywhere, as long as you don't have too much dust or pollution interfering. Light pollution shouldn't be an issue at all.

UPDATE: here's what I saw off my deck this morning. The first two are brighter than the visual appearance; the last is very close to what I saw with my eyes.
_

[TheZuke!]

It looks like it's going to impact somewhere in Syria.
B^)

[Rafa Ruiz]

How many degrees does the tail have?

[Chris Peterson]

How many degrees does the tail have?

About one degree.

[Ann]

Having stayed up later than I use to to keep watching the noctilucent clouds, I refused to set my alarm clock to try to see the comet. But I woke up at 4 a.m.behind my drawn blinds, and decided to get up and try to spot the comet. Alas, the sky was daylight bright! The Sun rose today at 4.37 a.m., but the eastern sky was whitish bright.

No comet for me!

Ann

[XgeoX]

Has anyone been able to see this comet with your own eyes yet?

Saw it very easily this morning. Didn't need to start with binoculars or even know where to look. At 4am in the northeast it was glaringly obvious- a bright star with a long tail. By 4:30, against a lighter sky, it was even more apparent, curiously. It should be visible from anywhere, as long as you don't have too much dust or pollution interfering. Light pollution shouldn't be an issue at all.

UPDATE: here's what I saw off my deck this morning. The first two are brighter than the visual appearance; the last is very close to what I saw with my eyes.
_
E7_44759p.jpg
E7_44762p.jpg
E7_44780p.jpg

Those are very beautiful shots Chris, well done! Thanks for sharing them.

Eric

[Chris Peterson]

Those are very beautiful shots Chris, well done! Thanks for sharing them.

Thanks. Put an actual telescope on it this morning. Got this, which spans 3.24° horizontally.
_

[MarkBour]

Put an actual telescope on it this morning. Got this, which spans 3.24° horizontally.
head+tail.jpg

Thanks for the posts, Chris. The first set was very nice. This shot is amazing!

[neufer]

Having stayed up later than I use to to keep watching the noctilucent clouds, I refused to set my alarm clock to try to see the comet. But I woke up at 4 a.m.behind my drawn blinds, and decided to get up and try to spot the comet. Alas, the sky was daylight bright! The Sun rose today at 4.37 a.m., but the eastern sky was whitish bright.

No comet for me!

Try 1:00 a.m. at your latitude (Capella, Beta, NEOWISE).

Use this updated map to help you track down Comet NEOWISE in the early dawn sky. Note that Venus passes close to Aldebaran on July 11-12.

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The Big Dipper and stars of Ursa Major the great bear will help you keep track of Comet NEOWISE when it shows up in the evening sky. This map depicts the sky around 10 p.m. Central Daylight Time with positions marked every 3 nights. Stellarium with additions by the author

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<<It will be possible to see NEOWISE at dawn through July 18. At the same time, you can watch for it in the evening twilight starting about July 12 when it will appear in the constellation Lynx the lynx which neighbors Ursa Major. From July 12-18 you can see it at both dawn and dusk.

Once it pushes into the evening hours it will climb the northwestern sky and be more convenient to view, but it will be fading, too. I always recommend seeing transient phenomena like comets when they’re brightest and at the earliest opportunity if for other reason than the weather. You never know when you’ll be slammed by storms and like and for how long.>>