You may have heard a buzz recently over a comet that some have been lucky enough to spot with their own eyes. Last week, we discussed the possibilities of seeing the comet in central Indiana. The only problem was that you had to be a real early riser to take a look at the comet called NEOWISE. If you’re more of a night owl, there’s good news for the rest of this week! You may be able to see the comet without losing too much sleep!
The chart below details your best chances of seeing the NEOWISE comet in the sky over central Indiana. In general, the best viewing window starts a little after 11pm and lasts for about an hour and a half to almost two hours. As the comet will soar through the sky tonight, clouds and the increasing chances of a storm could thwart your efforts. Thursday and Friday nights are likely to offer better viewing weather with fewer clouds.
When you go out to see the kite, it is better to get away from the city lights and go into the sky as dark as possible. You’ll also want to hang up your phone. Each time you look at your screen it means more time than your eyes need to adjust to see in the night sky. As for the direction to look, you’ll want to point NW and look pretty low on the horizon. You can use your closed fist, held with the arm extended, to measure approximately 10 degrees.
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