Farewell Neowise: Here Are the Best Photos of the Historic Comet Over Northern California

The summer of 2020 turned out to be historic, not just for the Covid-19 pandemic impacting everyone’s lives, but also for Comet Neowise giving everyone a beautiful show in the night sky.

It’s been 6,800 years since the comet was seen from Earth and it didn’t disappoint. The comet was easily visible in the sky during the month of July, and captured the hearts, minds and photos of people hoping to score a peak at the historic event.

As with any celestial event, the photographers of Northern California have been had a fantastic month capturing the comet and its signature long tail in front of some of the most beautiful destinations around. From Mount Shasta to Lake Tahoe to the Humboldt Coast, the photos have been pouring in of Neowise over NorCal.

So we’d like to say a happy farewell to Comet Neowise by sharing our absolute favorite photos of the comet over NorCal:

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Sometimes you need a kick in the pants to get your motivation going and that's just what my buddy @jasmanmander did messaging me about the comet Neowise, which by the way was the first time I had heard of this thing. We brainstormed ideas and locations only to both come to the conclusion that this location was the one. I had seen compositions here before and always loved it, largely because the Shasta/Trinity national forest is so unique and this portrays SO much of what it is and how special it is. It's partly nostalgic for me as I grew up camping in this area and as many of you know, I was born in Shasta. Something about the forests and rocks and makeup of the land just really works, and nature laid up this absolutely perfect window of a composition. The comet is visible around 4 am, which meant an all-nighter that included a drive down to Shasta, and an hour or so hike up above a couple of lakes around 7k elevation in the middle of the night. It was a calm and comfortable night which was good, but it can always get a little spooky. As we hiked up our headlands caught glimpse of a reflection among a an upside down "V" shaped tree-line resting against the cliff wall above us. Of course we froze with our lights on it for a little bit, Jas wanting me to get a pic, which I failed at. It just stared at us, we eventually move towards our location which was a sideways direction from the unknown animal. Of course I keep checking my back constantly. Eventually we get near the lake but of course one of the times I check up and behind me I see eyes again. Whether or not it was the same animal, I don't know. But we're basically at the location so we move along and set up right where we planned. Still checking behind me and ruining some of Jas’s shots I eventually calmed down and focused on the show that was about to begin, and boy was it a show. Single frame @nikonusa z6 @tamronusa 70-200g2 @ 70mm f2.8 ISO 3200 8 seconds. #neowise #neowisecomet #shasta #planetearth #singleframe #nasa #apod #spacex #outerspace #comet

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Super stoked to have been able to get in on the C/2020 F3 NEOWISE night mission with the über talented @rynotime and @warnerscorner! Such a legendary vantage of Castle Crags with a near perfect lineup of the comet right over the top! An epic night, to put it mildly! Thanks Ryan and Kris for the planning and scouting! Slide right for each of our vision on the spot! The first slide is my take, the second is also mine but zoomed in to the amazing comet itself. The third slide is by @rynotime, and the last but certainly not least is by @warnerscorner! Thanks so much for letting me tag along my dudes! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #sonyalpha #a7riii #milkywaychasers #milkyway #nightscaper #nightscape #nightphotography #astrophotography #darksky #longexposure #longexpoelite #photogadventures #starscape #landscapephotography #landscapehunter #landscape_tribe #norcalpulse #activenorcal #castlecrags #neowise #neowisecomet

A post shared by 𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐓 𝐁𝐀𝐄𝐑 (@curt.baer) on

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I didn’t think I was going to shoot this thing. I, for some reason, wasn’t incredibly excited about it. Until I was. That excitement came when I first saw it in camera. It’s cool to document something that is rare. We ended up hiking about a mile to the campsite. This was taken about 10 yards from my tent. On the other side of my tent was Donner Lake. I didn’t go thinking it was going to have such a cool line up with Castle Peak. Big shoutout to @macadamphotography for continuing to invite me places even though I don’t think I’ve ever said yes for whatever reason. @mac_boo_boo didn’t even hesitate to go ❤️ Shot alongside @macadamphotography @ao.images @rahbmacadam @nevershearless @mac_boo_boo Single shot Sony a7riii 70mm f2.8 30 secs iso 2500 #sonyalpha #sonyimages #milkywaychasers #nightphotography #astrophotography #neowise #astrosprout #nightshooters #nightphotography_exclusive #natgeoyourshot #natgeo #eclectic_shotz #activenorcal #nights_dreamworld #moodygrams #ig_shotz #ig_captures #wildcalifornia #usaprimeshot

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Early this morning I watched comet NEOWISE rise over Mt. Shasta from beautiful heart lake. I spent the whole night taking pictures of the stars and it was so amazing especially when the little lake got so calm that it looked like a mirror. The comet rise was spectacular as you could clearly see it and it's reflection over Mt. Shasta even as the sunrise started to slowly fade the night sky. This is a single quick processed image. At some point I might see what fancy stuff with multiple stacked images I can do to bring out that amazing tail! Hope you enjoy! #comet #neowise #mountshasta #mtshasta #astrophotography #astronomy #sunrise #wilderness #castlecragswilderness #nasa #sunrises #sunsets #sunset #astrophoto #landscapephoto #landscapephotography #naturephotography #redding #reflection #reflections #mountainlake #nature #explorecalifornia #northerncalifornia #norcal

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☄️ Comet Neowise only appears every 6800 years, and starting today (maybe for the next couple days) you maybe able to see it about an hour after sunset in the northwestern horizon. So don’t miss your chance, unless your immortal, in that case you can wait. ———————— [In Frame] @andytupman ———————— Interested in buying a print? ➡️ codyyconk.com ———————— #yosemite #nationalparkgeek #yosemitenation #nightphotography #nights_dreamworld #theimaged #mg5k #visualambassadors #night_excl #nightshooters #all2epic5k #nightphotography_exclusive #eclectic_shotz #roam247 #unlimitedplanet #cc5k #takemoreadventures #escapeandwonder #aov5k #longexposure_shots #longexpo_addiction #earthoutdoors10k #depthsofearth #earth_shotz #ig_nightscapes #nightshooterz #wildcalifornia #nationalparkspartnership #shotzdelight #supremeshutter @agameoftones @lensbible @shotsdelight @yosemitenps

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When I See You Again \ 2020 Neowise Comet, Yosemite National Park \ In a little while the people of this world won't be able to see Me, but you will see Me. And because I live, you will live. John 14:19 #neowise #comet #onceinalifetime #lensbible #visualsoflife #dreamworldimages #landscapes #landscapephotography #ig_landscape #trappingtones #ig_masterpiece #ig_podium #splendid_earth #gramslayers #halfdome #exploretocreate #landscapephotography #roamtheplanet #jaw_dropping_shots #earth_escape #nights_dreamworld #night_captures #longexposure_shots #universetoday #longexpoelite #nightscaper #nightscapephotography #earthofficial #amazingphotohunter #yosemite #astrophotography

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I've been fortunate enough to see and experience some pretty spectacular things in my short time on this rock hurtling through the solar system, but getting a flyby from this other little rock is pretty high up on my list of things that make me smile.  Send me a DM if you have any interest in a print. I can do metal, acrylic, canvas, or giclee archival paper! I also have several photos in landscape orientation. . .. @tahoesportshub #lumecube @renotahoe #sonyalpha #sonyimages #comet #astrophotography #neowise #longexposure_shots #nightpics #nightphotography #amazingearth #universetoday #reflections #stars #rsa_nature #natgeospace #naturelover_gr #astronomy #visitplacer #thisistahoe  #milkywaytv #emeraldbay @milkywaychasers #sky_chasers #sky_sultans @thetahoeweekly #tahoe #laketahoe  #tahoenorth @tahoenorth @tahoequarterly #SonyAlphasClub #sonyshooter #a7riv #cometneowise

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