{"id":633,"date":"2020-07-07T15:08:09","date_gmt":"2020-07-07T15:08:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/perezmedia.net\/beltofvenus\/2020\/07\/07\/comet_c2020_f3_1\/"},"modified":"2023-12-24T06:03:10","modified_gmt":"2023-12-24T06:03:10","slug":"comet_c2020_f3_1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/perezmedia.net\/beltofvenus\/2020\/07\/07\/comet_c2020_f3_1\/","title":{"rendered":"Comet C\/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) – 7 July 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"
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C\/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) – 7 July 2020, 3:44AM MST \/ 1044UT
\nClick for larger version.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

There were no nearby clouds to contend with this morning and that permitted the view I was after with Merriam Crater. On any given day that old cinder cone is perfect\u2014then catching it sharing the horizon with this graceful comet gets kind of goosebumpy for me.<\/p>\n

I tried to see how long I could observe it visually with binoculars and was able to see it from 3:31-4:54AM\u2014basically right on the horizon up to 13\u00b0 at the end when the sun was 5\u00b0 below the horizon. I was able to observe it naked eye, including the tail, up to the last 20 minutes or so.<\/p>\n

Theta Auriga was conveniently 3\u00b0 away for comparison, so naked eye the tail appeared about 1\u00b0 in length. Through binoculars more like 2.5\u00b0 long and photographically, about 3.5\u00b0. It kept its yellowish color up to the last 20 minutes or so when the sky was pretty bright and making it hard to detect. The pseudonucleus appeared more neutral in color and the tail had that bifurcation both visually through binoculars and photographically. I made a quick field sketch \u2014 first one I’ve done in a while \u2014 hopefully I can get that finished up & posted soon.<\/p>\n

Photographically I think I’m picking up a hint of an ion tail very faintly just left of the curving dust tail. I need to work on some of the other magnified images to see if it’s really there.<\/p>\n