Comet NEOWISE

Oscar Martín Mesonero took this beautiful self portrait with comet NEOWISE on July 5, 2020. Oscar was located in Spain. Many thanks to Oscar for allowing me to use his image

Early risers in mid Northern Latitudes (Europe, Japan, China, etc) have a chance to see a nice comet (Comet NEOWISE) very low in the morning dawn. You will likely need a pair of binoculars to locate it, although some people are reporting seeing the comet with the naked eye and it is the brightest in a number of years. The following finder chart can be used to find the comet, by facing to the north east and aligning the chart to the horizon. Note the planet Venus will appear as a brilliant star to the right of the comet and about the same distance above the horizon. It is important that you have a very clear unobstructed horizon to have a chance of seeing the comet.

Photographers will also have great opportunities to photograph the comet as the bright moon will also illuminate the ground which will make for some interesting compositions.

Comet NEOWISE can be found skirting along the North-North East horizon from central European latitudes. Positions of the comet are shown from July 7 through to July 15. Click on chart for a larger version

If the comet doesn't fade too much, it may also become visible in the evening sky around mid-July. Stay tuned for more information! In the meantime check out the frequently updated image gallery at spaceweather to see more images of the comet.