Comet Neowise and The Dark of Night
March 09, 2021
Photographer: Top Photo, Tomas Slovinsky; Bottom photo, Peter Clausen
Summary Authors: Tomas Slovinsky; Jim Foster
The photo above showing the grand arch of the Milky Way was captured at Elafonissi Beach, the most southwestern part of Crete, Greece. This beach is known for its clear turquoise water and soft white and colored sand. For astrophotographers and stargazers alike, it’s also known as a dark sky paradise. Rated a category 1 on the Bortle Scale of sky darkness, the faintest objects visible to the human eye can be detected here, including the structure of the Milky Way, nebulas and airglow. But in recent years, light pollution from nearby restaurants and local houses has been disconcerting. Note Comet Neowise on the far left.
The bottom photo shows another view of Comet Neowise as observed above Rocky Mountain National Park on July 17, 2020.