There’s a comet overhead in the Bluffton sky. This week is a good week to try to view it.
The comet is called Neowise. It has passed behind the Sun and is now heading back out of the solar system. Between now and the end of July should be a good time to see it.
Just after sundown, look a little bit west of due north. We would call this north-northwest (NNW). If the sky is too bright to see the Big Dipper you may want to wait until it gets darker. But, if you wait too long after sundown the comet might disappear below the horizon.
The Big Dipper should be fairly low in the sky with the handle directed upward, and the dipper pointed downward as if the dipper is being emptied.
The comet should be below the dipper, a little bit above the horizon. As the minutes and hours pass, the Big Dipper and the comet will rotate counterclockwise around the North Star. It’s possible that the comet will rotate below the horizon (or behind trees or buildings at your location) before the sky gets dark enough to see it.
If this is the case, wait a few days because at sundown the comet will be a little higher in the sky on subsequent nights. By the end of July the comet will be up near and a little left of the handle of the Big Dipper.
The comet will pass closest to the Earth on Thursday, July 23, so it should be brightest at that time.
By the end of July it will be further from Earth, and the comet’s tale will also be fainter as it moves away from the Sun.
