Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) ascends over the moonlit Painted Desert and Wupatki National Monument in northern Arizona, USA. This is my favorite road in the state—probably anywhere—and was a delight to share with this fleeting, graceful interloper into the inner solar system. The comet came into view after surviving a close approach to the sun and captivated early risers in early July 2020. 9 July 2020 • 3:44 AM MST/1044 GMT Wupatki National Monument, Arizona, USA Canon EOS 6D Mark II Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 lens f/5.6, 4 sec. x 6, ISO 12,800 Stack of 6 exposures aligned in Adobe Photoshop to reduce noise.
Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) rises above the moonlit landscape around Merriam Crater in northern Arizona, USA. On any given day this cinder cone is perfect—but catching it sharing the horizon with this graceful comet takes it to another level of excellence. The comet came into view after surviving a close approach to the sun and captivated early risers in early July 2020. 7 July 2020 • 3:44 AM MST/1044 GMT East of Flagstaff, Arizona, USA Canon EOS 6D Mark II Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 lens f/5, 2 sec. x 6, ISO 6,400 Stack of 6 exposures aligned in Adobe Photoshop to reduce noise.
Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) rises above the moonlit landscape of the San Francisco Volcanic Field in northern Arizona, USA. Several cinder cones can be seen rising above the horizon with Sunset Crater on the far right side. In the foreground, ponderosa snags are all that remain of the forest that used to stand here before the Schultz Fire of 2010. The comet came into view after surviving a close approach to the sun and captivated early risers in early July 2020. 8 July 2020 • 3:40 AM MST/1040 GMT Flagstaff, Arizona, USA Canon EOS 6D Mark II Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 lens f/4, 2 sec. x 5, ISO 12,800 Stack of 5 exposures aligned in Adobe Photoshop to reduce noise.
