By Rob and Georgina May

Passionate about Mercury, Rob May is known to always be on the hunt for Comets, cars that is. NEOWISE, an astronomical type of Comet, joined Mercury (the planet) in our solar system during the month of July 2020. Georgina Garcia May Photography provides us a glimpse of the lonely shy Comet that will not return for another 6,766 years following its orbital ellipse.Photographers made several stops On the 101 for a chance to see this rare galactic event.

Halleys Comet (last seen in 1986) is one of the most famous and well known comets. Its relative short-term repeat cycle and brightness highlight its popularity. In 1997, the Hale-Bopp Comet made its appearance. It too was luminescent; however, with an over 2500 year cycle, its return is for another era.NEOWISE is the brightest comet in the northern hemisphere since HaleBopp. An acronym with an acronym, Near-Earth Object (NEO) combining with Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) forms the name NEOWISE.

Launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) in December 2009, a Delta II rocket successfully placed the WISE telescope into orbit. It no longer will be in the shadow of its bigger brother Hubble. In addition to comet NEOWISE, numerous other less visible comets, asteroids, stars, and planets were discovered by the WISE telescope.

Back on Earth, multiple challenges hampered our NEOWISE sightings. Weather, from overcast skies to fog, are the obvious roadblocks in the skyways. Smoke from fires and general smog haze also hindered the comets performance on the astral stage.Ironically, clear nights with a bright moon are not optimal either due to its light outshining the comets appearance.In the same dilemma, popular places are not the best especially with headlights from others shining in camera lens.Remote locations were the most productive.

Speaking of location, simply locating the comet among the stars, planets, satellites, and streaking meteors was not so simple. The Big Dipper was the main reference point after dark. Each night, the comets location and brightness varied.The best time for viewing with the naked eye, binoculars, cameras, telescopes, and more was an hour after sunset. (Initial sightings were possible just before sunrise too). Information providing guides on the expected comets path included online websites and phone apps, quality varied.

Canon is the camera of choice for this writing and photography team. Sturdy tripods are mandatory. On some nights, no extras were needed to see the comet, although binoculars were best for the initial capture to verify ones eyes. Thirty-second long exposure is key to capturing the photo. Settings had to be adjusted to compensate for the dark and limited light (while at the same time not oversaturating). Color and black/white pictures allow for varying details and effects. Georgina Garcia May perfected her night photography on multiple scenes on the 101 and West Coast from Lompoc to Morro Bay and inland to the Carrizo Plains. From our backyard in Lompoc, Surf Beach, Buellton, and Los Alamos, all were locations for photographing the NEOWISE Comet.

Looking for the perfect backdrop for your night shots? The Milky Way (not the candy bar) is great for regular and panoramic views.While not always compatible with comet pictures, the Moon is a fantastic model on its own accord. Planets aligning into a Great Conjunction is a site to behold as well. Also not to be missed, is any solar eclipse from partial to totality. Of course, night rocket launches remain photogenic too.

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One last look at NEOWISE - On the 101