Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) has been putting on a nice show in the pre-dawn hours for people in the north. I managed to get up before dawn on July 11, 2020 to see if I could see the comet and was blown away. I was expecting to need binoculars to see the comet, but I could easily see it with my naked eyes and could even make out the central condensation around the nucleus. Binoculars and my camera only improved the view. Here’s an album of pictures I was able to get. Also, as a highlight, here’s one of my pictures imported using the Wolfram language. These images were taken in southwest Champaign at the Champaign-Urbana Astronomical Society’s Prairie Winds Observatory using a 100-400mm lens and a 5 second exposure.
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img=Import["https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50100376467_98227f3b63_o_d.jpg"]
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This is not the only comet that carries the name NEOWISE. It’s just the one putting on the best show right now. NEOWISE is actually a renaming of the WISE satellite (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) after its primary mission ended. This satellite found a number of comets, but its C/2020 F3 that is the one of interest. Using the Wolfram Function Repository we can visualize its orbit on July 22 when it is closest to Earth.
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Withcomet=,ResourceFunction["SolarSystemPlot3D"]{Cyan,PointSize[.01],Point[comet],EdgeForm[],Glow[Cyan],Cone[{1.3comet,comet},.02]},Orange,Sphere,.025,Lighter[Blue,.5],Sphere,.03,White,Sphere,.03,Gray,Sphere,.02,DateObject[{2020,7,22}],PlotRange1.7,"OrbitStyle"Gray,"SunStyle"{Yellow,Lighting{{"Ambient",GrayLevel[.3]},{"Directional",White,ImageScaled[{0,0,1}]}},Sphere[{0,0,0},.05]},BackgroundBlack,ViewPoint{-1.1,-0.6,0.41},"IncludeEclipticPlane"False,Lighting{{"Ambient",GrayLevel[.3]},{"Point",White,{0,0,0}}},BoxedFalse,SphericalRegionTrue,ViewAnglePi6,ImageSize{600,400}
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For a more earthly view, we can call WolframAlpha to see where the comet is. Here’s approximately where it was when I observed it, low in the northeast before sunrise.
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WolframAlpha["C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) skymap July 11 2020 4:00 am"]
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In the coming week , the comet will be transitioning to an evening object making it a bit easier to observe for people not wanting to get up before the Sun. From here in Champaign, it will be nearly 30 degrees above the northwestern horizon at 9:00 PM, but its height will vary depending on your location and time. Hopefully it's brightness will continue so more people can enjoy it over the coming week or so.
WolframAlpha["C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) skymap July 22 2020 9:00 pm"]
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