But, NEOWISE is still going strong and is now positioned for the northern hemisphere.
If you want to see NEOWISE you have two choices. Early in the morning, before sunrise or (later in the month) just after sunset. It is probably the brightest right now and will be dimming slowly over the next two weeks so catching it in the AM might be worth the early rise from bed. For those who prefer their sleep, it will be visible in the NW after sundown, and will be rising higher and higher in the sky (important if you are viewing from a location with lots of trees - like at my observatory.)
The two charts below will give you a rough idea of where to look for the comet. Each one is fixed at a particular time (roughly with the sun about 10 degrees below the horizon) and shows the position of the comet on each day from July 6th through the 25th.
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| Comet NEOWISE - Morning Reisterstown, Maryland |
NEOWISE doesn't rise very high in the early morning sky as it moves around the sun in it's orbit. It is the highest on July 10th, about 15 degrees above the horizon at 5:00 AM. Distance between each horizontal grid line is 20 degrees.
The evening views are a little better, and the comet gets higher each succeeding night, but also dims as well.
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| Comet NEOWISE - Evening Reisterstown, Maryland |
Recent reports put comet NEOWISE at magnitude 1 - 2, which is certainly bright enough to be visible with the naked eye, but I would bring along a pair of binoculars if you have them.
Depending on the weather, I may be transporting my portable telescope to try to capture some images. Later in the month, when the comet is high enough to clear my treeline, I'll capture it with my larger rig.
Graphics courtesy of Starry Night®
(Starry Night Pro) (Version 8) / Simulation
Curriculum Corp.
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