NEOWISE

Hi all, 

You might have heard on the news about a comet that you can see with your eyes, and how it's so unique that you won’t see it again in 6,800 years. Let me present to you: Neowise! Neowise was named after NASA’S NEOWISE (Near_Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) mission at the end of March 2020. This isn’t the first time Neowise has been discovered, but there are no records of the last time people saw it. Neowise was closest to the Earth around July 14th, so many were able to see it with their bare eyes. Cool, right? Until this upcoming weekend, there is still the possibility of seeing it, but with the assistance of high power binoculars or telescopes. It basically looks like a star with a tail (interesting fact: it actually has two tails - one of them is melted ice flying from the comet while the other is plasma). With each passing day, it fades a bit more, but hopefully you all can still catch the ending of this spectacular object!

Some Tips and Tricks in Finding It

1. Make sure you locate the Big Dipper first (seven stars in the shape of a spoon). Neowise will be somewhere around it, more likely to the bottom left of it

2. Look Northwest

3. Be patient: it can be very difficult to find, but don’t give up! Slowly scan the sky until you are able to pinpoint it. Trust me, it’s worth the wait. 

4. Make sure that there aren’t too many clouds or trees that can obstruct your view

5. Try to find places that aren’t too brightly lit as it may overpower the radiance of the stars

6. Wait for the moon to set a little. As discussed in Tip #5, the moon may radiate too brightly that it can overshadow the stars

7. It’s best to go out and look at around 9:30 - 10:30ish. Any later, and Neowise begins to fade more and more. 

If you guys were able to capture pictures of it, please feel free to send them in! We personally lacked the appropriate tools to do so, but we would love to see any that you might have taken.