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Comet Neowise snapped over Greenham Common and when to view the International Space Station as it passes over the UK




Harold Siddons from Thatcham captures Comet Neowise on camera over Greenham Common

Comet Neowise over Greenham Common Picture: Harold Siddons
Comet Neowise over Greenham Common Picture: Harold Siddons

COMET Neowise has been providing fantastic photo opportunities throughout July, but you may only have a few more days to see it with the naked eye - and if you miss it you will have to wait a few thousand years to see it again.

The photo, above, was taken by Harold Siddons from Thatcham. Mr Siddons took the shot at Greenham Common early in the morning last week. The shot shows a hint of the second faint ion tail and is a stacked image of 20x 6s exposures, using a Canon 550D with 50mm lens.

Mr Siddons also got a closer shot of the comet, which shows its coma. He said: "It was taken with the same camera using a 127mm Maksutov telescope with a 1,500mm focal length from a dark site on the Berks/Wilts border."

The International Space Station has been incredibly bright in the night sky over the last couple of weeks and will continue to pass over the UK until early August.

Here are some viewing times for the next few nights when the ISS should be very bright: Sunday, July 19, 11.19pm; Monday, July 20, 10.31pm; Tuesday, July 21, 11.19pm; Wednesday, July 22, 10.31pm; Thursday, July 23, 11.20pm; Friday, July 24, 10.32pm; Saturday, July 25, 11.21pm. If you stay up until after midnight on these dates, you may also catch it again then.

We will post the following week's times next Sunday.

Remember, these times are approximate, so give yourself 10 minutes either side and can also change if the space station performs an orbital boost and changes its orbit. The International Space Station always appears from the westerly part of the sky, although not necessarily the same point, and a pass can last around five minutes.

If you capture Comet Neowise or the International Space Station on camera, send your pictures to geraldine.gardner@newburynews.co.uk



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