C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE)

[stan armstrong]

The simplicity of Instructions were such that I could not resist the challenge.

Despite my clarity of vision with Cataracts removed and 10×50 Bresser.. I did not visually see Comet at all.

The Comet’s position was on other side of Valley.. above the Trees of The Golf Club..##

The Golf Club keeps it’s Lighting System in Partial ON mode thruthe Night.. to faciliate the fascinating Crawler ‘Tidy up and Recharge’ after the Golfers have gone home. The resultant view of the Range is shown..##

I knew the Comet would be rising from Total Darkness of the Golf Club Trees.

The ratio of B/W was huge. However.. The Roof camera was Teased to show the Comet peeping thru the Silhouette Crater Tail first. Obviously attempted traditional ‘Drawback to a Frame’

but had to settle for this..##

Pity I never swotted Photoshop as have lots of Wide Nightview shots across valley..

Thus my shots are ‘Of the moment’.. 

[Honor Wheeler]

Finally a comet that has remained, so far, intact (Sorry Nick 😉 Great to see a naked eye comet in the sky albeit just the core but it was worth staying awake for. Apart from the comet I also saw the ISS flypast of Venus, the Jupiter, Saturn & Moon conjunction, Mars and a rather pleasing Sunrise. 

[Paul Anthony Brierley]

There are some very good images on here of this fine comet. And I hope we are treated to some good views of the comet during the coming weeks.

[Nick James]

Great pictures from everybody. You just had to be lucky with the weather last night.

It is not quite up to Michael Jager’s standard and it shows the comet rising over TV aerials and trees rather than mountains but here is a short timelapse of C/2020 F3 rising from Chelmsford last night. It first appears at 0131 when the comet is 1.7 deg above the horizon.

[Nick James]

I was incredibly lucky with the weather this morning in Chelmsford UK with a narrow slot of clear sky low down in the direction of the comet. C/2020 F3 was easy naked eye this morning. It is higher and in a darker sky than yesterday. The binocular view was fabulous. This is a single 5s frame taken at 0128UT using a 200mm, f/2.8 lens and a Canon EOS550D.

[David Swan]

Fantastic comet through binoculars. Well worth getting up for. Thank goodness it was clear in the NE!

[David Swan]

Here’s a compressed jpg from this morning.

[Nick James]

Lovely wide-angle shot David. So glad you have been able to see it. Here is my timelapse of it rising this morning. A really special thing to see.

Good luck to everyone with the weather. Set the alarm even if there is only a small chance of clear skies. It will be worth it!

[Stewart Moore]

Really excellent view this morning in bins. Comet superb in strip of clear sky with dark bands of cloud above and below.  Observed from home (Thorpe le Soken) through open upstairs window. 15 x 70s showed no extra detail to 10 x 50s.  Tail around 2 deg at 1 o’clock position and closer to 2.5 – 3 deg with averted vision.  Observed from 01:25UT to 02:04UT when brightening sky, rising comet and approaching cloud caused view to deteriorate. Suspected it naked eye for short period around 01:40UT.  A decent comet at last ! you have been forgiven, Nick.

[Ray Emery]

Truly stupendous, Nick! In fact, stupendus maximus! Well done that man indeed!

[David Swan]

I agree with Nick – get out there, and perhaps pray the evening before for good weather. The object is clearly visible to the naked-eye as a point object (you can pick it up by just scanning the sky by eye in the right area), but through binoculars it is transformed into the classic comet appearance. Leaves a real impression. I used 10 x 50 bins which framed it nicely.

[Robin Leadbeater]

Not visible for a few days yet from the observatory so I rigged up a portable setup last night using a Star Analyser in front of a 50mm lens on an AS120mm camera, normally used as a guide camera on the ALPY spectrograph.

There is not much contrast between the spectrum and the bright sky but the sodium emission is clear.

Cheers

Robin

[Eric Walker]

Comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE

Processing of high data RAW image file as promised.

First sighting & image capture of this comet I’ve managed from my home observatory in Conon Bridge, Scottish Highlands.

A very tricky capture as there was only a small narrow gap in the clouds just at the right moment.  The dawn sky was brightening quickly at this northern latitude (57N) and I didn’t have much more time left to catch the comet. 

[Bill Ward]

Hi all,

I had my first decent evening for the month on 7/8 July 2020. 2020 F3 had just become circumpolar from my latitude but at 56N it is still very bright even at 00UT. Anyway, a cloud bank situated on the horizon seemed to have the remarkable property of being synchronised with the earths rotation and sat exactly over the comet for two hours before allowing me a brief observing slot!

As the cloud was dancing around I took a few shots through 300mm f4 and 400mm f4 lenses. Being very amateurish and rushed, I didn’t even note the time accurately, all I can say is that it was around 0010UT 8/7/20  very faint to naked eye. Image is a stack of 11 x 1 sec but background was just too bright to get the ion tail. Looked nice in 11×80 binoculars, tail maybe 1/2 to 3/4 degree long to me eyes.

Then the cloud covered it again and resumed its synchronised motion all the way to 03UT! grrrrr…

Sometimes it is really difficult not to take it personally…. ; – )

Might get to see it again next week….

However, as compensation, there were some remarkable NLC that night!

Cheers,

Bill.

[David Swan]

Nice Bill! I am at 55deg N and have the same problem. Isn’t it notable that this comet has received almost no coverage in the mainstream press. I wonder if there has been a Y4 effect.

[Eliot Hall]

Lovely sight from Silbury Hill tonight.  Quite easily naked eye including a fair chunk of the tail.  Just managed to capture it before it grazed the horizon

[Robin Leadbeater]

This is what the spectrum  in the region near the Na D lines looked like tonight at ~1A resolution. (The inset is the guider image showing the position of the slit). Note the Doppler blue-shift in the comet Na D lines relative to the  sky lines

Robin

[Nick James]

Just got back from one of the great observing experiences of my life. A stunning comet and wonderful NLCs in a clear, deep blue sky. The images of 2020 F3 here are single frame JPEGS straight from the camera. I need some sleep now and will calibrate and stack the raw images later.

11

 

[Andrew Robertson]

It was truly stunning Nick and by 2am the tail was getting on for 5 degrees long N/E. The views through binoculars (7×50 & 15×70’s) were very similar to your images. I reckon the best view was just between 2am and 2.15am BST; altitude v sky brightening.

Andrew

[Martin Mobberley]

Photographed the comet from the field at the back of the house. Fortunately the farmer had mowed it a few days earlier. Used my ancient (2003 vintage) Canon 300D DSLR and bog standard 50mm f/1.4 lens on a fixed tripod. A highly distorted Capella sits in the top right hand corner. (Took some other shots with a 1982 vintage Hanimex 300mm mirror lens although they don’t show any more detail.)They all look a bit pathetic compared to Michael Jager’s extraordinary shots from Austria but at least I have actually seen it now.  Nice view in 10x50s. Pity the Moon was up, but at least it wasn’t full!

Martin

[Author]

Posts