Comet NEOWISE over The Gunsight. In this photo, captured on July 28, 2020, our dear friend Mr. NEOWISE is now five days beyond his closest approach to Earth, and is also steadily moving farther from the Sun. So he’s both smaller and dimmer than in any photos I captured earlier in the month. He’s also competing with a half full (but not half empty) Moon, which illuminates both the sky (making the tail harder to see) and Sedona’s famous red rocks.

The gap between these two peaks, in the Coconino National Forest just a mile or so from my house, is known locally as The Gunsight. Mr. NEOWISE, I surmise, thought that was a fine place to settle in for the night, and with my paparazzo hat on, I was able to capture a sequence of photos as he bedded down. Stay tuned for more…

Tech info: Nikon D850 camera with Nikon 50mm f1.8 lens, 4 sec. at f2.0, ISO 4000.

Image ©2020 James D. Peterson