The photos of the amazing comet Neowise have started to appear on the news and social media, and if you want to get a picture of this amazing astro event, this week is probably your best shot. With this particular comet not expected to make its return visit to the heavens of the earth for another 6,800 years, this is something you don’t want to miss.
Comet Neowise, or Comet C / 2020 F3 to give it its full name, has turned out to be one of the best comets for people to see without the need for specialized equipment since Comet Hale-Bopp in 1997. Often comets They turn out to be more disappointing than astronomers expected, but this one has so far exceeded expectations and there is still plenty of time to see for yourself.
It is visible on the north horizon after sunset or before sunrise … as it needs to be dark enough to distinguish the comet and its tail. You need to be in the northern hemisphere, and of course you also need clear skies.
How to see the comet
But according to Space.com, conditions for seeing Comet Neowise are now improving. Until this week, the best images were taken in the early hours of the morning, but right now the best views will be about an hour after sunset.
“If it’s in the northern hemisphere, you can see it,” said Joe Masiero, deputy principal investigator for NEOWISE, the NASA space telescope that discovered the comet. “As the days go by, it will increase in the night sky as well you’ll want to look northwest just below the Big Dipper. ” (The Big Dipper is a ladle-shaped star pattern that is part of the Ursa Major constellation, the Big Bear.)
But take note from our colleagues at Space.com “that the best time to see the comet at night will come during the time period of July 14-19.” So if you’re going to shoot, this weekend will be the right time to do so!
How to photograph the comet
To photograph the comet, you need a reasonably long exposure to capture the comet. An exposure setting of around 5 to 10 seconds is approximately what is expected. For this, you will need to use your lens at its maximum and maximum aperture, and then set a relatively high ISO to give it the correct exposure. An ISO of between 800 and 3200 is what you can expect (the exact setting will depend, among other things, on the maximum aperture of your lens). Therefore, a tripod is essential if you want sharp shots.
You can use any lens, but the best shots we’ve seen so far have used a short telephoto setting, so the comet is reasonably sized in the frame. A key point is that you should try to find a camera position where you can include some foreground interest (some rocks, for example, or a building) that provides some context for your image.
To get a better look at the comet and see the forked shape of its tail, it is worth taking binoculars with you.
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