We've been going out shortly after sunset the last few nights to try to see the PanSTARRS Comet. All the information out there said to head out around sunset and look to the west slightly above the horizon and to the left of the sliver of the moon.
We did that two nights with no success. Nada, niente, zip. Disappointing to say the least. So I continued to research the location, time, etc. and decided that everyone else's idea of sunset and my idea of sunset were two different things. My Starwalk app on the iPad showed the moon way below the horizon at the time I showed as sunset.
Regroup. Go out way earlier because the moon's not that high in the sky when the lights go out.
So this evening, we walked outside when the sun was just starting to dip but was still pretty bright, slightly before what I consider twilight.
There it was!!! About a hand's width above the mountains in the western sky. Way brighter and bigger than we had expected. Just to the left of the setting sun.
It was awesome and could be seen with the naked eye but even better with a 10x50 pair of binoculars.
We didn't get any photos but we will try tomorrow night to take some.
Wow. A great celestial event. Way better than Halleys Comet in Peru in 1986 . . .
That is so cool. One of many celestial sighting you will have I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteEvery night seems like a celestial sighting - we see so much of the night sky, the milky way, meteorites and stars we could never see on the Space Coast . . .
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