Catching comet Neowise
June 10, 2024•260 words
An older write-up from July 22, 2020.
The comet NEOWISE (named after the NEOWISE mission of the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) space telescope) is near earth and I got a chance to see it. Living where I live, the weather is always a big issue and for most of the comet's viewing duration there was heavy cloud cover. The comet is a rare naked-eye comet that was expected to dazzle viewers after the great show provided by Hale-Bopp in 1997 that I remember seeing so clearly when I was younger. It did not dazzle everyone as much, but was quite exciting anyway.
The comet peaked on the horizon on the 21st of July and could be visible directly below the Ursa Major constellation - directly below the middle star of the ladle it creates.
Pictures taken from a Canon Powershot SX520HS with open source firmware Canon Hack Development Kit, CHDK.
The hazy streak to the right is the comet and I was surprised at even having caught it because there was a lot of pollution from the light. The second attempt a more organized one at a nearby meadow and the pictures look better.
The exposure was a little longer since I could see the stars starting to trail. And some more pictures for good measure.
A side attempt at catching star trails,
Until, 6700 years later Neowise.
tags:
#astronomy