Comet Neowise – A viewing experience!

My brother was all enthusiastic and excited when he read about the comet identified and named by Nasa, ‘C/2020 F3 NEOWISE’ . Which is all set to adorn the night sky for a few days from now before it reappears after 6,800 years!! On March 27, 2020, it was discovered by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) mission as the comet was headed toward the Sun. The comet made its closest approach to the Sun on July 3, and then turned back toward the outer solar system. The best part of it, is its visibility with the naked-eye starting mid July, after sunset for the next 20 days in the Northern Hemisphere.

Our plan and experience

First, we downloaded the SkySafari app. Then, used it to identify the exact direction of the comet, so that we can set the camera accordingly to an appropriate frame to capture the beautiful sight. According to the news, the comet would be visible to the naked eye after sunset but to see the tail of the comet, a binocular would be necessary. Our flat has a nice terrace with a wide view of the sky and on July 16, we placed our Nikon D5200 on a tripod facing the North West direction and waited for about 90 minutes but could not spot it as it was cloudy.

We tried again on July 17. Few minutes before sunset i.e. around 06:15 PM, we reached the terrace. My brother set the camera again. Thereby, with the help of the app, figured out the probable location of the comet. And, started clicking a few pictures of the North Western sky though we could not spot the comet yet. We waited for the sun to set so that its dark. All this while we kept clicking pictures but could not spot the comet anywhere. It could be due to multiple factors like too much dust in the atmosphere or a cloudy sky and even the city lights.

But slowly, we saw the Ursa Major but could not see the comet yet with our naked eye. We were almost losing hope. Suddenly, my brother made a keen observation of the pictures we already took. And lo and behold we found it when we zoomed in (just below the Ursa Major)!! We were super excited and clicked few more pictures till 8 pm until it set. It was a beautiful experience amidst the Covid 19 lockdown.

How to spot the comet Neowise in the sky

1. Find a spot away from city lights and with a clear view of the north western sky.
2. Download the SkySafari app in your mobile.
3. Check the weather, if its too cloudy then there is hardly any chance to find it.
4. While you may be able to see it with your naked eye, you might want to bring binoculars or a small telescope.
5. Reach the spot before sunset. Set your camera in case you want to capture it. Because by the time it appears next , imagine 6,800 years we will all be gone 😉 .
6. Go to search button at the bottom of the app and click on ‘Brightest Comets’. The first name in the search results will be ‘C/2020 F3(NEOWISE)’. Click on it and you get information about the comet and to spot it in the sky just click on ‘Locate’ symbol on bottom left of the app.
7. It appears in the constellation Ursa Major(the Great Bear) and is visible until around 8 PM.
8. Set your camera to a manual mode and adjust the ISO, aperture and shutter speed according to the light in the area. Wide angle lens would be preferable for a better view.
9. Have patience! Its a bit difficult to spot it with naked eye if the sky is not clear and it looks just like any other star. But with a binocular or a good camera, the tail can be viewed which is the most interesting part of seeing a comet!!