British Columbians are sharing more images of a recently discovered comet that will be only visible over B.C. for the next couple of weeks, before disappearing again for thousands of years.
The Neowise comet, discovered in March by NASA’s Neowise infrared space telescope, reached its closest point to the sun on July 3, which caused the “frozen ice ball” to heat up and burn gas and dust off its surface.
explains that, "This very close passage by the Sun is cooking the comet's outermost layers, causing gas and dust to erupt off the icy surface and creating a large tail of debris. And yet the comet has managed to survive this intense roasting."
Yesterday, Vancouverite tweeted that he saw his first comet first comet ever on Sunday night. He adds that, "If you're looking for #CometNEOWISE in Vancouver, turns out the best place is readily accessible: the beaches at Locarno, Jericho, or Spanish Banks. After 10:30 pm, North sky over Cypress, a bit below the Big Dipper. Use binocs or a telescope."
Have a look at some of the best photos from the Lower Mainland over the past few days.
Couple of photos from last night at Garry Point Park. Not the best lighting (there were lights), terrible gear, but
— Julie Holden (@jholden23)
shot from Spanish Banks in BC. Picture taken Just after 11 pm on July 18, 2020. Beautiful conditions to observe it.
— Michel Gélinas (@GarconGlacon)
Stepwise - every few minutes - superimposed resulting in a night sky at Harrison Lake BC.
— Dr. Christian Sasse (@Sassephoto)
from the Richmond dike at around 11:25 pm July 19 2020.
— Michel Gélinas (@GarconGlacon)
The was faintly visible to the unaided eye towards the northwest, below the Big Dipper.
Vancouver, Stanley Park, 11:30pm, July 18th
— This is Flo (@flovancity)
Skies cleared and although I'm unaccustomed to taking photos of the night sky I went out and got some of .
— Alphonse Williams (@Augustlands)
Went comet gazing last night and I wasn’t disappointed!
— Taruna Goel (@write2tg)
Great to catch neowise and a meteor at the same time, i wonder is it fragments of the comet itself ..hhmmm
— Rory Coomey (@RoryCoomeyPhoto)
Got out the telephoto, the wide-angle, and the panoramas... :)
— Tyler Black, MD (@tylerblack32)
Sit back and take a bit of time to enjoy space in all its glory, or just watch a burning comet hurtling through space.
— Rory Coomey (@RoryCoomeyPhoto)
Comet Neowise can be seen just after sunset on a clear night by looking below the Big Dipper in the northwest sky. Use binoculars or a telescope for a clear view of the tail. Comet Neowise won't be back for 6800 years...
— Capt. Wayne Luke (@WayneLuke)
Well that’s cool.
— Mathew Bond (@mrmathewbond)
as seen over from Spanish Banks last night at about 2:30AM!
— Rory Court (@rorycourt)
Comet last night 19 July Harrison Lake BC
— Dr. Christian Sasse (@Sassephoto)
Last week, a local astrophotographer shared a remarkable image of a rare comet and Aurora Borealis at Harrison Lake.
Liron Gertsman, a 19-year-old astrophotographer and astronomy enthusiast, tells Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» in an email that he's never had the opportunity to shoot a comet before. The last comet visible from the northern hemisphere that was comparable to Neowise was Comet Hale–Bopp in 1997, which was before he was born.
The previous night, Gerstman also photographed the comet from over English Bay, resulting in a very "Vancouver" landscape image featuring the comet. Read more and see the photos HERE.
