Comet NEOWISE

Yeah not looking directly at something to see it better seems strange, but it's the best way to see stars (or other objects that are not so bright). AFAIK we have more cones directly in the center of our vision so we can discern colors really well, but those don't help out too much to see a comet that is not all that bright. If you look just a little bit away from it so it is in our field of view, but not centered, we have more rods/cones ratio than we do in the center of our visual field. Not 100% sure if this is correct, but it's what I learned in 1987 in my HS astronomy class.

Got a really good show tonight. Used my 12x42 binoculars and it was fantastic. Going back out tomorrow. 

In reply to dean1484 :

Yes!   First night in the last 6 or so without high clouds, we were able to see it with our binoculars as well.   My daughter was able to get a couple of long exposure pictures with her digital SLR on a tripod as well, I'll post it if I can get her to share a copy.   I'm hoping to get a look at it in darker skies in NH over the upcoming weekend but happy to have seen it if that doesn't work out.

Cloudy night but clear morning. I drove all over trying to find low light pollution and a clear view to the NW, but was left cometless, tired, and with a headache.

In reply to 11GTCS :

We are going back tonight to see it.  I have an old telescope that I have not played with in 15??? years.  A good excuse to take it out and at least look like I know what I am doing.  The binoculars seemed like the best way to see it.  The set I have are made by Nikon and have a very high light gathering ability.  Things actually look brighter through them than with the naked eye.  I can actually see stars with them that I can not see with my eyes (my eyes are getting worse at night as I get older). 

I know it seems kind of silly but I am actually excited to see it again.  Won't be able to see it again for another 6000+ years Kind f makes you feel much smaller in the greater picture of things.  Made me ponder things like what the world will be like 6000 Years from now when the comet comes back.  In comet time 6000 years is just one orbit.  For earth it is something completely different in terms of its evolution.  

Se we were back out last night and it was even better than a couple days ago the sky was much clearer.  I pulled out my old telescope and we managed to get it lined up and what a site that is.  We could see the split in the tail.   The better part was I got my 15 year old some to come with my wife and I and we met up with some friends and all had a great time comet watching.  I still would recommend just a decent pair of binoculars to anyone.  As you will get a fantastic show from just using them.

dean1484 said:

Se we were back out last night and it was even better than a couple days ago the sky was much clearer.  I pulled out my old telescope and we managed to get it lined up and what a site that is.  We could see the split in the tail.   The better part was I got my 15 year old some to come with my wife and I and we met up with some friends and all had a great time comet watching.  I still would recommend just a decent pair of binoculars to anyone.  As you will get a fantastic show from just using them.

When's the best time to see it Dean? Dawn or dusk?

I think tonight is the peak night for us. I hope the clouds stay out. the last few nights have been thunderstorms

In reply to GIRTHQUAKE :

Dusk. 

bobzilla said:

I think tonight is the peak night for us. I hope the clouds stay out. the last few nights have been thunderstorms

Same 

Really hoping to see it with the kids tonight!

The primary worry is the moon.  It will start being above the horizon later and later, and it will be near to where the comet is.  The moon does not set until 10:30 (west coast) tonight, and the comet is only 13 deg above the horizon at 10:30 (again, west coast)

Someone in one of my FB RV groups took this picture:

Photo: Angel M Roman

Pretty cool.

We got a pretty good view of it last night in central NH.  A few meteors and what we later were able to confirm as a pass by the ISS as well.  

Staring up into the Milky Way with binoculars really puts ones existence into perspective.  Or maybe that was the bourbon talking.  

I have had zero luck. I have looked for multiple nights in a row with the human eye and some entry level binoculars.

Nothing. Nada.

Maybe im missing something?

In reply to CarKid1989 :

Here is an image from NASA showing where to look. I saw it again a few days ago just after sunset. It is way more faint than my first post. I had to use binoculars and sweep back and forth in the general direction to see it, you can't really see it with the naked eye now.

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GIRTHQUAKE said:

dean1484 said:

Se we were back out last night and it was even better than a couple days ago the sky was much clearer.  I pulled out my old telescope and we managed to get it lined up and what a site that is.  We could see the split in the tail.   The better part was I got my 15 year old some to come with my wife and I and we met up with some friends and all had a great time comet watching.  I still would recommend just a decent pair of binoculars to anyone.  As you will get a fantastic show from just using them.

When's the best time to see it Dean? Dawn or dusk?

I have only been out at dusk. I think it depends a lot on location with respect to other light sources and what you have the best view of in terms of direction as you need a good clear view close to the horizon. 

My girlfriend has a Superzoom camera (can't change lenses) but you can leave the shutter open for over a minute.  We went up just north of Seattle and she snagged a few pics.