Photographers who chose to stay up late Monday night hit the astronomy jackpot when it comes to shooting the night sky.

In the starring role was Comet NEOWISE, one of the brightest comets to be seen in years.

But adding to the backdrop was the aurora borealis, and the Alberta-discovered atmospheric phenomena known as STEVE.

Photographer Chris Ratzlaff said Monday night was the first time hed been out to photograph the aurora since the fall.

He composed an amazing shot with the Okotoks glacial erratic below the comet and the green glow of the aurora.

While he had some pro gear to take his shot, he said the comet is bright enough to capture with a newer phone. He tried a few shots with his, just to see if he could.

He said to use a tripod if possible, or find something to stabilize the phone.

I was sitting in a chair and I had my arms stabilized against my knees, he said.

Comet NEOWISE is seen above Downtown Calgary skyline on Tuesday, July 14, 2020. The newly discovered comet has been visible in northerly latitudes for the past week and can be seen with the naked eye.Azin Ghaffari / Postmedia

Ratzlaff said although it was initially an early morning comet, the odds of seeing it at any time of night are growing.

Its definitely an all-evening event, he said. Basically sunset to sunrise. You want to be out.

He also said it helps to have younger eyes if you want to spot it.

I took my daughter out Saturday night and she spotted it immediately and without guidance from me, said Ratzlaff.

To find it, he said look to the right of the big dipper. The two stars in the cups bottom will point in the general direction of the comet.

Comet NEOWISE is seen near a windmill outside Calgary.Comet NEOWISE

If you have an SLR-style camera, he suggested starting with an exposure of 1/3 of a second at f2.8 if possible, and an ISO of 3200. A tripod is a must.

Ratzlaff said people who are really lucky may capture the comets two tails.

You get the dust trail and then you get the ion trail, he said. The ion trail is very straight a straight line out from the head of the comet its kind of blue in colour.

Many photos posted on social media Tuesday featured the aurora with the comet, but also STEVE, which coincidentally was named by Ratzlaff.

The aurora-like beam of energy was seen in a photo taken by Chandresh Kedhambadi, who got his shot near Bragg Creek.

Chandresh Kedhambadi captured this amazing shot of Comet NEOWISE with the astronomical phenomenon known as STEVE seen on the left, as well as the green glow of the aurora.jpg

Ratzlaff expects NEOWISE to be just as bright as it was Monday for at least two more nights. The comet is getting closer to earth, which could add to the brightness. At the same time, its moving away from the sun, which is what causes the tail to be so apparent.

Its so hard to say the running joke is, comets do what they want to do.

Originally posted here:

Calgary photographers take pictures of Comet NEOWISE with the aurora - Calgary Sun