Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE)
In the spring of 2020, astronomical communities were actively discussing the approach of the relatively bright comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE). It was expected that in the summer it would pass perihelion and, with favorable activity, could become visible to the naked eye. However, brightness predictions for comets always carry a significant degree of uncertainty — much depends on the gas and dust production of the nucleus, possible fragmentation, and the geometry of its approach to the Sun and Earth.
C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) is a long-period comet discovered by the NEOWISE space telescope (WISE mission) on March 27, 2020. After passing perihelion in early July 2020, the comet rapidly increased in brightness and became one of the most prominent celestial objects of that summer.
The comet reached perihelion on July 3, 2020; its closest approach to Earth occurred in the third week of July 2020. Due to its relative proximity to Earth and high activity during this period, it was visible through binoculars and in the sky away from city light pollution — sometimes even to the naked eye under good conditions.
Visibility conditions: in the Northern Hemisphere in July 2020, the comet was initially noticeable low on the horizon before sunrise, then — from mid-July — it was well observed in the evening above the northwestern horizon. For observation and photography, it’s best to choose locations with a clear horizon and minimal light pollution.
Over several nights, I photographed the comet using a Canon EOS 550D and a Sony DSC RX-100. This was my first experience shooting the starry sky — I hadn’t done it before, so I had little skill. The photography required taking a series of shots and then stacking them in specialized astronomical software. Capturing a comet is not easy: in my case, one of the challenges was that it appeared at dawn — I had to account for the rapidly changing sky brightness. Incorrectly chosen settings could ruin an entire series, and reshooting was no longer possible; the final result could only be seen after processing.
This is my very first photo of the comet. I took it right in the garden. Waking up early in the morning, I went out to the yard and looked north. The comet was clearly visible — like a bright “star” with a noticeable long tail. It looked impressive. The shot was taken with a Canon EOS 550D with a 50 mm lens on a tripod, with exposures of about 5 seconds. A small number of frames went into the stack.
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The next day, I decided to take a few more shots and choose a different shooting location. Early in the morning, I rode my bicycle to the area of the “178 km” station. There’s an embankment there that offered a decent view of the northern part of the city. The shot was taken with a Sony DSC RX-100.
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The next time, I rode my bicycle to the area of the Diyovka station — I assumed it would also offer a good view of the city. In practice, it turned out differently: there was no suitable view, and there was strong light pollution from streetlights. Without hesitation, I left in search of a darker place and stopped in the nearest ravine.
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The shot turned out decent but too “small” — the Sony lens wasn’t the best choice for such tasks. Additionally, I had to manually press the shutter for each frame, which was extremely inconvenient.
This photo was taken again in the garden, but this time on a tripod with a 50 mm lens — during the comet’s evening visibility period. I really like this shot: it turned out striking, with the comet “flying” over the rooftops of houses.
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This shot was taken using an EQ3-2 equatorial mount, a 50 mm lens, and an exposure of about 30 seconds. It clearly shows the comet’s tail splitting: a narrow, thin (ion) tail and a wider, more diffuse (dust) tail.
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I took photos on subsequent days as well, but the results were worse — the comet was losing brightness, and better shots required a longer focal length lens, which I didn’t have at the time.
So, all these photos didn’t turn out as high-quality as they could have been with the right equipment and time for experimentation. In urgent conditions, I had to improvise and use the equipment I had on hand. It’s a pity that such bright comets don’t come to us often...
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