We have quite a treat for us tonight!
First, the comet.
Comet Neowise will appear near the western horizon, just to the right from where the sun went down, about an hour after the sun sets. I plan to start looking at about 9:00 pm and I’ll likely just keep looking until I see something.
The comet was discovered on March 27 by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or NEOWISE. The comet has since been named after the telescope.
The comet has two tails. One is dust and one is ions. You should be able to see the dust tail with the naked eye….key word is “should“. Comets are rather unpredictable.
You should notice a brighter star that looks a little “smudgy”. That’s Neowise. You’ve probably seen a lot of glamorous pics of it on the internet. Keep in mind those pics are often taken with special cameras and can look much more incredible than the actual sight.
Still, it’s worth a look! It will get higher in the sky as we go through the next week or so. And you can still see it about an hour before sunrise too. In fact, those morning pics have been pretty incredible.
If you miss it tonight just keep looking the rest of the month. The comet will get higher in the evening sky, making it easier and easier to see. It may even get brighter.
In the image below, the comet is really close to the horizon this week, but climbs higher in the evening sky by the 23rd. Find a location as clear on the horizon as possible.
The next sight comes at about 9:47. That’s when another International Space Station (ISS) flyover will occur! It will first appear in the southwest and disappear in the northeast. The station will climb to nearly 90 degrees up and being visible for nearly six minutes.
So, get out there and star gaze this evening! I’ve got my telescope ready. And don’t forget to wave at the ISS as it flies over. They can’t see you but, come on, it’s just not southern not to wave. lol
Pictured below is the current crew of the ISS.
You all have fun star gazing! We’re so lucky to have such clear skies in July. Thanks to the front that came through yesterday.
If nothing else….just look at all those beautiful stars….
Thanks for the heads up! We just waved to the ISS! Can’t see the comet yet where we are due to trees. Will keep watching!
On Mon, Jul 13, 2020 at 8:06 PM Meteorologist Mark wrote:
> Meteorologist Mark posted: “We have quite a treat for us tonight! First, > the comet. Comet Neowise will appear near the western horizon, just to the > right from where the sun went down, about an hour after the sun sets. I > plan to start looking at about 9:00 pm and I’ll likely just k” >
The view should get a bit better as we go through the month! Just keep looking up and make sure you use the binoculars. They seem to help a lot!