Comet NEOWISE continues to perform well as it rises higher in the evening sky. Look for it getting higher in the NW over the next week just after dark. Check out my previous post for a finder chart.
I was fortunate enough to get to dark skies (Bortle Class 2) this past weekend and was able to image NEOWISE with my Nikon D5100. I also used a GoPro Hero 8 Black to get nightscape time-lapse footage of the comet as it set with Ursa Major, the big dipper just above it.
Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) is peaking for observers in the northern hemisphere in early July. As I type this the comet is a morning object rising in the northeast at about 4:45 a.m. CDT. The brightening of the sky as dawn approaches means the early bird gets the worm. You will not have much time to get your shot until the comet is washed out should you hope to photograph the comet.
Over the next few days NEOWISE will dive lower in the sky until it emerges as an evening object in the northwest sky. If the comet holds it current magnitude and does not suffer the same fate as others that came before it, namely Comet Atlas, then sky watchers should continue to enjoy this celestial interloper well into the month.
