First a big half moon rose in the SW. wirh Mars just above it. In the South Saturn and Jupiter are close to each other. Then I had to rub my eyes...a comet appeared in the North with a massive tail. ( I looked it up. It’s called Neowise.) Finally in the ENE. Venus rose. Very big and bright. Never seen such a collection. (Writing this at sea 0330 Sunday 12th July)
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The local paper had a piece about the comet with some excellent pictures taken by an amateur astronomer. The moon has been quite a sight the past few days - even when there has been cloud the light gets through. I imagine being at sea is good from the pov of sky watching - no buildings or lights to get in the way? -
My late father was a merchant seaman. One of the 'perks' of his jobs was being able to take his family on voyages so, in 1976/77, we embarked on a 6 month trip that took us to the Mississippi, through the Panama Canal then across the Pacific Ocean to various ports in Japan to collect coal to take to Newcastle, Australia.Originally posted by oddoneout View Post
Night times on the Pacific Ocean were unbelievable. There was absolutely no light on deck so the light from the night sky was undiluted. It really seemed as if one could stretch up and grab a passing star or touch the moon, so close by they seemed.Comment
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Yes!!!! Venus bright. First visible stars oop 'ere for weeks!! A joy.Comment
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Is the comet visible from the UK? It may not be - perhaps depends on light conditions. I think it should be visible in some parts for maybe another week.Comment
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Thanks for that - I'll start watching out for it, though it might be quite difficult. There might just be some excellent photo opportunities in a few days and onwards, but such a lot depends on weather.Comment
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Aaaah - so that's it!!! I'd always suspected they'd got the wrong Newcastle!Originally posted by pastoralguy View PostComment
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Wiki reckons both, depending on date, so I've learnt something today.
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Too cloudy today for a pre-dawn sighting, but a relative took a clear photo on her phone in North London a few days ago.
Neowise will pass closest to earth on 23 July - NNW, below Ursa Major, the Plough.
Many references on the internet: here's a page from the BBC website which shows comet's trajectory (scroll to bottom of page).Comment
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Went out for a drive around at about midnight last night in the hope of getting up high enough to see a horizon, and to spot patches of clear sky. Sadly zilch - nothing visible at all. There are occasionally very clear nights, but they are relatively rare. Last night was not one of them.Comment
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Here, stars AWOL. Deep cloud encroaching.Comment
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A collection of photos here of the Neowise comet
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Last night looked possible for a while, but I figured the best time was going to be between 1am and 2am, after looking at Stellarium. I set an alarm for 1am, but things didn't look too great, and I was very tired so I went back to sleep. Maybe I'll try again in a while. People at lower lattitudes may have more luck, as the nights are still dark enough at (say) 4am, so 3.30am might work for comet watching, or they may even be able to see it after sunset. Here it's just far too light, still.
Here is an article about previous bright comets, and how often we might expect to see one - https://www.space.com/where-have-the...mets-gone.htmlComment
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