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Chongqing News

Star-chasers’ wishes come true

2020-07-22 14:29:12

The Milky Way and starry sky shot by Li Hua

Photography and astronomy enthusiasts and tourists gathering on the top of Yungui Mountain

Comet tail streaking across the blue sky at night

Flight trace and comet in the sky

C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE), the brightest comet visible to the naked eye so far with a long tail

CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- “After the cycle of six-thousand years, F3 appeared in the northwest sky as expected!” Early in the morning of July 20, Li Hua, a press photographer of Shangyou News posted many beautiful starry sky photos in his WeChat Moments. The “F3” in the caption means the comet cataloged as C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE). Since the mid-July, this comet with a long tail had appeared in the low northwest sky in the evening. With more and more favorable observation conditions, it had become the object of many photography and astronomy enthusiasts recently. On July 19, Li Hua and his friends captured the comet with their camera lens.

If star-chasers miss this chance, they need to wait for another 6,800 years

“I’m in my fifties, but I’ve never seen a comet. I want to see the spectacular scene. It will be 6,800 years later when it comes next time,” Li Hua said. After learning the news that the comet could be observed, he wanted to go to the mountains to “chase the comet”. However, it had been raining for a few days before. Finally, the rain stopped on July 18. He immediately invited several photography and astronomy enthusiasts to record the spectacular scene together. 

Li Hua decided to “chase the comet” in the Yungui Mountain with an altitude more than 1,000 meters in Yubei District, because it was not far away from Chongqing main urban area that he could arrive there around one hour. Moreover, there was a wide view from Yungui Mountain ridge that he could exactly observe the northwest sky.

Nervous, nothing except for several bright stars

On July 19, the weather cleared up with blue sky and white clouds. Li Hua and his friends drove to the Yungui Mountain to prepare in advance for the shooting. 

Around 8:30 PM that day, more than 100 photography and astronomy enthusiasts and tourists gathered there, setting up tripods, pitching tents and waiting for the comet expectantly. “The weather was fine during the daytime, but at night, we found the air humidity was high. The sky was not very clear and even a bit cloudy,” Li Hua said. They were nervous and looked at the northwest sky, but found nothing except for several bright stars, and there was no sign of the NEOWISE comet with its long tail. 

Wishes coming true, comet with visible coma and tail

“I saw it!” Before long, screams broke out from the crowd. Li Hua said he thought he could not see the comet, but he was also excited when he heard that someone had photographed the comet. He quickly took his camera and continuously took pictures toward the northwest. When he took the third picture, he found the comet in the lens.

“It was very clear. Both the cometary coma and tail were visible. It was so amazing. The sky was more brilliant and charming with the comet light,” he said.

Over the years, Li Hua has traveled to many places and taken many beautiful starry sky pictures in the mountains far from light pollution. “Cameras can capture details that are hard to be seen by the naked eye, which is also the charm of the starry sky photography. We chase stars and meet the brilliant Milky Way, know about the immensity and vastness of the universe, and cherish the current beautiful life more.” (Translated by Huang Juan, Fathom Language Limited)

Editor:Jiang Yiwei