COMET NEOWISE BECOMES OBLITERATED BY THE WAXING MOON / LAST LOOK AT THE NUCLEUS

As the Moon waxes in brightness, it obliterated the tail of Comet Neowise and the Comet fades into darkness. The first image in a mid-angle view of the comet below the Big Dipper asterism in the constellation URSA MAJOR. The nucleus in at the bottom of the frame and the tail toward the top away from the the Sun. The second image is at a higher focal length for a close up view.

COMET NEOWISE PHOTOGRAPH IN THE "TRIPLE PLAY"

Lisa Moss of Hawkins captured the Comet NEOWISE, recently, along with the aster-ism Big Dipper in the constellation URSA MAJOR and a meteor in the same shot. The Little Dipper with Polaris on the end, can be seen in the upper right above the meteor.

NEW NAKED EYE COMET VISIBLE NOW

Comet Neowise is a naked eye visible comet that can be seen in the NW sky at near Sundown through about the 23rd of this month. It is between LEO and URSA MAJOR (Big Dipper Asterism). See diagram below. For more information see the following source: https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/comet-neowise-dazzles-at-dusk/This is one of those unusual comets that are close and bright to see without a telescope. It is great with binoculars.

This the July 4th Penumbral Lunar Eclipse Moon. It is a little darker than a normal Full Moon because it is the outer part of the Earth's shadow. It is a little yellowish due in part to the dispersion of the Sun's light by the atmosphere, but more probably due to the Sahara Desert dust suspended in the atmosphere over Texas. We were lucky to see the Moon because of the forecasted scattered showers for the area. The photo was made at my home by Miranda Bennett of Tyler, TX. Also earlier in the month of June, she photographed the Strawberry Moon pictured below.

We at ASET enjoy what we do and really enjoy sharing with others. We are thankful for the "Thank You"s we get when sharing the night sky. It's great to hear a "Thank You". Occasionally we get an email one. BUT Earlier this year we did a telescope viewing for the elementary kids at Chapel Hill's Wise Elementary School. I would like to share their "Thank You"s with others because they were different.

Astronomical Society of East Texas Stance Per Corvid-19

The Society has suspended all meetings and activities in respect to National, State and Local safety declarations concerning the spread of Corvid-19. In the interim, we will entertain questions and communications via our email: info@asetexas.com and our facebook page:Astronomical Society of East Texas.

STAR GAZING AT MINEOLA NATURE PRESERVE FRIDAY, 26TH OF JULY 2019

The Mineola Nature Preserve in conjunction with The Astronomical Society of East Texas will present a STAR GAZING at the Mineola Nature Preserve on Friday, July 26th. This is a free program and everyone is invited. The activity begins about 10 PM and will end about 11PM. The location will be the amphitheater next to the pavilion. The program is a group exercise in identifying objects in the night sky that can be seen with binoculars or the naked eye (Naked Eye Astronomy). Try to arrive by 8:30pm. This is a weather permitting program. In the event of inclement weather or cloud cover, the program will be cancelled. A “CANCELLED” notice will be posted in the “Calendar” page of the Society’s website: www.asetexas.org/calendar on the date, view our Facebook page: Astronomical Society of East Texas and a sign will be posted at the Preserve entrance. Please keep an eye on the weather and dress appropriately for it. We have had significant amounts of rain lately, so wear clothing to ward off the mosquitoes. If you bring mosquito repellant, DO NOT bring aerosol sprays; use wipes instead. Door prizes will be given at the end of the program. For more information on this event and the Society, contact us at info@asetexas.com or text to 903-520-7338.