July 13-25, 2020 A Week+ with CometC2020F3 Neowise

What on earth did we just do?

Wow!
I'm thinking out loud here when I say: "We experienced an "out-of this world" week.

The beautiful comet NEOWISE was here, paying us a visit as it traveled along it's 6800 year retrograde orbit of the sun. We took a few trips this past week, as well,  to say hello, just hanging out under the stars.
Comet chasing...

star gazing... 

staying up late at night...

cat-napping during the day...

meeting new friends... 

discussing the whys and hows of photographing a comet......

learning new things....
Comet NEOWISE dazzled the skies. One could see either with binoculars, or in many situations........VISIBLE to the naked eye.
***There have been 2 naked-eye "Great Comets" in the past 25 years (Hale-Bopp in 1997 and Comet McNaught in 2007. Several years ago, Comet ISON, known as C/2012 S1, was available for viewing through an equatorial mount tripod. I'll never forget that moment, at the Radford University Selu Conservancy., seeing and photographing this Comet. ***

My addiction fascination with the night sky began a few years ago when I first began my new hobby of photography. Oh the wonder! From the moon, to the Milky Way, to the stars, and beyond. A sense of peace from our worldly wows.

Photos did not compare to seeing NEOWISE with the naked eye.
What a thrill.

My first photo of the Comet C2020F3 (NEOWISE) was taken at Explore Park on the night of  July 13, 2020.

I wasn't as prepared as I thought I would be, and I wasn't sure I'd be able to see it. Thankfully other gazing admirers nearby, with a telescope, pointed to the comet location. 

Bingo. 

I was hooked. 

It involved looking through binoculars first, then through my zoom lens. 

Clearly I would be going to higher elevation for darker skies soon. 

July 15, 2020, we ventured to the Blue Ridge Parkway. We had done research on camera settings, lens to use, clear sky charts, night sky charts, and suitable viewing areas. We pack a nice picnic dinner, and set up our places at View Arnold Valley Overlook. The sunset was breathtaking, as was the view.

Who doesn't love a beautiful sunset? It's a magical moment that we all would love to cherish more often, but many of us never take the time to watch. Sunset are proof that no matter what happens, every day can end beautifully. Our attempts to photograph NEOWISE was a bust. The clouds were in the way of the comet, but none the less, our evening was restful. 

July 19, 2020. The skies were predicted to be clear. Instead of heading back to the Parkway, where thousands of photographers and stargazers were, we headed to Craig Co. No city lights made for a very dark sky. The thunderstorm from afar was an added treat. (not to mention the Milky Way)

A few million stars and Neowise strutted their stuff...... What a majestic view!

Nothing runs like a 'deere' except maybe a comet! What a sight! You can almost see the double tail on the comet!

July 20, 2020...... my addiction for following the comet continued. My body was tired from lack of sleep, but my soul searched for that moving object in the night sky....... off the front porch, before going to bed. (Obviously👇👇👇 not the dark skies needed to see the billion stars in addition to the comet)

On Saturday night, July 25, 2020, we were able to catch a very dim glimpse of Comet C/2020 FE (NEOWISE). The comet had started moving away. It reached its peak brightness the previous week. The nights have been late since July 13th, and the skies have not always been clear enough to see the comet. But being outdoors at night, looking up at the stars, makes you realize there are more important things than what people do all day!

"...........but this rock is as wide as Manhattan blowing by our planet at 150,000 miles per hour that's making the night sky look like something out of Fantasia. That's undeniably cool. Nobody knows when it will happen again. It's been a front-row seat to a limited run show put on by one of the more mysterious types of objects in our solar system....." 

The view here ☝☝☝ is from Harvey's Knob Overlook along the Blue Ridge Parkway. (MP95.3). The white glow on the left side is the light from the bright moon, which made viewing the comet a challenge. 

Our time of comet gazing has come to an end. "Sayonara Neowise"