Comet NEOWISE is far enough north that you can see it at both ends of the night. It’s getting farther from the Sun, but still getting nearer to Earth until July 22, and may not be at its brightest. Reports are that it is magnificent in binoculars and findable with the naked eye. In the pre-dawn sky it is getting lower:
See the end note about enlarging illustrations.
But in the after-sunset sky it is surging higher, and takes longer to dip down over the northern horizon.
Its arc over the Sun is the inner end of a highly elongated orbit, as we showed the other day. It is crossing the constellation of the Lynx, notorious for having such dim stars that only a lynx’s eyes can see them; and is near the forepaws of near-polar Ursa Major.
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Thanks for the great charts, the detail was perfect.Took the A.M. chart out this morning and easily found the comet at about 4:15 am local time.
For those of us far enough north (I’m around 55° N latitude), the comet’s actually visible all night presently, and indeed it was when I first managed a sighting on July 11-12.
Last night, July 13-14, it seemed a little fainter than on 11-12, perhaps pushing down towards magnitude +2.0 instead of the +1.5 or so I’d felt it was on 11-12. But my comet magnitude estimates have never been great! It still looks good in the 7×50 binoculars or with the unaided eye once the sky gets dark enough, with an easy 5 to 6 degree tail or thereabouts. If you’re still hunting and hoping, do persevere, as it’ll eventually be worth it – as long as it doesn’t suddenly disintegrate, of course!
Guy, thanks for the great maps and diagrams related to NEOWISE! I’ve been trying to see the comet but so far have only found it in the morning sky. My view of it on Sunday morning, July 12 was the best so far, shown here:
http://www.starvergnuegen.com/astropix/neowise/neowise.html
Now I have to hope for clear skies in the evening to catch it there. Your diagram of its movement upward from the NW horizon is the first one I’ve seen showing what where to look, thank you for that!
Thanks, Guy! Dave and I are going out to the country to view the comet and take photos tonight. If I get any decent shots, I will share on my Facebook post. Take care and stay safe and well!