Thursday, March 28, 2024
ADVT 
Interesting

To photograph comet Neowise, it takes patience and placement

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 24 Jul, 2020 10:31 PM
  • To photograph comet Neowise, it takes patience and placement

The newly discovered comet Neowise is only visible from Earth once every 6,800 years, and photographers who want to document it seek places with high elevation and little smog or light pollution. A place like North Carolina’s famed Grandfather Mountain.

On a recent weekend, Associated Press photographer Gerry Broome was granted special after-hours access to the iconic peak to accompany photographer and amateur astronomer Johnny Horne on a trip to make images of the comet discovered in March.

The moment came on a Saturday night when Comet Neowise first appeared as a tiny smudge in the northern sky. A pair of binoculars revealed its tail of gas and dust. It was just past 9:30 p.m., and the northern sky had cleared enough to spot the comet with the naked eye. It was as if the heavens opened up and provided a celestial show that wouldn’t be repeated in our lifetimes and for many to come.

“If we don’t attempt to experience these natural wonders, we never see any of them except by chance. I’d rather be deliberate about it,” said Horne, who has travelled to Australia to photograph Halley’s comet, Zambia and Mexico’s Baja peninsula for eclipses and Iceland for the northern lights. The retired news photographer and photo editor, who spent 44 years at The Fayetteville Observer, has contributed to Sky & Telescope magazine since the 1990s.

To see Neowise, Grandfather Mountain was chosen for its clear view at an elevation of nearly 6,000 feet (1,828 metres) But to benefit from the view, the weather has to co-operate. On Friday night, a giant thundercloud blocked the view on Grandfather Mountain as the comet appeared, thwarting the attempts to photograph it.

But on Saturday, both photographers were successful -- Broome atop the mountain again this time, and Horne at a lower elevation.

According to NASA, the nucleus of the comet is three miles (4.8 kilometres) across. It emits a tail of dust and possibly two tails of gas as it moves through space at around 144,000 mph (232,000 kph). Now making its way back toward the outer solar system, the comet has come as close as 64 million miles (103 million kilometres) to Earth.

The comet should remain visible through the end of July and possibly into August across the Northern Hemisphere. It is visible to the naked eye and can be spotted below the Big Dipper, but a good pair of binoculars or a telescope will enhance your view. A clear night with limited light pollution is important for success.

It's named for the NASA spacecraft, Neowise, that first spotted it.

MORE Interesting ARTICLES

Punjabi Market: Where Culture meets Commerce

Punjabi Market: Where Culture meets Commerce
Testament to Canada’s multicultural fabric and a growing symbol of the South Asian community’s heritage, is Vancouver’s Punjabi Market. 

Punjabi Market: Where Culture meets Commerce

Enjoy Your Backyard This Summer

Enjoy Your Backyard This Summer
Rustle up some cherished family memories with some of these fun backyard activities.

Enjoy Your Backyard This Summer

Commercial airlines across Canada have announced in recent weeks that they are temporarily laying off pilots and other staff as the industry struggles with plummeting demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic

The Royal Canadian Air Force is getting creative about finding new pilots. Commercial airlines across Canada have been temporarily laying off pilots in recent weeks as the industry struggles with plummeting demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now the Air Force is hoping to snatch up some of those pilots to address its own shortage of experienced aviators

Commercial airlines across Canada have announced in recent weeks that they are temporarily laying off pilots and other staff as the industry struggles with plummeting demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Government enacts stricter quarantine measures for returnees to Canada

As of Wednesday, all people returning to Canada will have to check in to a hotel or other designated site unless they have an acceptable self-quarantine plan, the federal government says. Returnees — whether they have COVID-19 symptoms or not — must have an isolation plan that includes access to food and medicine, officials said Tuesday.    

Government enacts stricter quarantine measures for returnees to Canada

Scheer says he has serious concerns about the accuracy of the World Health Organization's data and its relationship with China. 

The Conservative opposition raised broad concerns Tuesday about Canadian government's reliance on the World Health Organization, questioning the accuracy of its data and its relationship with China during the COVID-19 crisis. Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer said he had "serious concerns" about the WHO during a press conference on Parliament Hill after returning from his Saskatchewan riding.

Scheer says he has serious concerns about the accuracy of the World Health Organization's data and its relationship with China. 

Suspect charged with murder in fatal Surrey shooting deemed random

Suspect charged with murder in fatal Surrey shooting deemed random
RCMP say charges have been laid after a fatal shooting in Surrey, B.C., early on the morning of April 7. The Mounties say Robert Tomljenovic, who is 26, has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of 21-year-old Pritpal Singh.

Suspect charged with murder in fatal Surrey shooting deemed random