Tonight I headed out on a mission to see and photograph Comet Neowise. Neowise is a fairly recently discovered comet first spotted by the astronomers using the Neowise Telescope. Having seen the great comet of 1997 Hale Bopp as just a teenager, standing in my back yard in Scotland with my mother – it piqued my interest in all things extraterrestrial. I didn’t own a camera back in 97′ but the internet had started to boom and I saw a lot of inspiring photos taken by people from all over the world had got of Hale-Bopp. I decided then that should another comet visit our cosmic neighborhood in my lifetime I would get a photo.
Fast forward 23 years (more than a lifetime compared to my younger self being only 17 or so at the time of Hale-Bopp) later and I got my chance. Now living in the United States, I took the photo below in West Kennebunk Maine’s Blueberry Barrens. I arrived around 9 pm and noticed a few other cars parked. It was a great evening, I enjoyed chatting with fellow comet hunters and space enthusiasts. The shot is not as tack-sharp as I wanted it to be, but the good news is that the comet will be around for the next month or so, I will be back out many more times to try and get the best results possible.
These photos were taken on July 20th, 2020 at approximately 10:30 PM
Hi , We live in Kennebunk and tried to see the comet at Parson's Beach, but we couldn't locate it, even though it is clear. Do you have any suggestions as to how to locate it…is it really obvious? Thanks, Elloe
I'm so sorry, I just saw this – you might still be able to see it if you head out to the blueberry barrens, that has the largest field of view for the horizon. The comet tomorrow night 7/30/2020 should be visible after 10 pm, look between northwest and west. It should be below and to the left of the big dipper. Also, I would stand outside for a while to get your eyes accustomed to the dark skies. I wish you luck!