Space fascinated me from a young age. I spent countless hours flipping through the glossy pages of my books, marveling at the beautiful photos of stars, nebulae, and especially comets. I longed to see one of those graceful tails grace our skies, and lamented the fact that I wasn’t old enough to have seen Hale-Bopp. So when I saw C/2020 F3 NEOWISE in the news, I knew I had to try to get a shot.

After reading a number of articles (as well as checking out other photographers’ results), I set about planning a shoot. The night of Sunday, July 12th seemed perfect, with clear skies all night long. I didn’t want to take any chances with viewing windows, so I planned a two-part shoot. I picked my locations, gathered my gear, and invited my sister, Lia to come along.

Part 1:

For the first part of the shoot, we headed out to St. Olaf College’s Natural Lands. Their expansive prairie has played host to countless shoots, including a number of gorgeous night shots. Unfortunately, conditions didn’t favor me that night. Clouds dusted the horizon to the north, preventing me from getting anything but mostly-obscured photos of the comet. I found another problem too. Even with clear skies, the bright lights of a hospital and retirement community just below the comet caused significant light pollution. So, Lia and I hopped back in the car and headed home to wait for the second part.

Part 2:

We left the house again at 3:30 in the morning. For this part, I had a different location in mind. We headed east to a wildlife management area (WMA) that I’ve biked past a few times before. I chose this location, the Koester Prairie unit of the Prairie Creek WMA, for its prominent hill with great views to the north. I definitely made the right choice.

Once parked, I stepped out of the car, looked up, and immediately spotted the comet. Based on the articles I had read, I expected to see little more than a bright spec. However, when I first looked up, the tail stretched clearly away from the body of the comet. The moment of that first sight made everything worth it. All of the planning, the all-nighter, and heading out into a mosquito-filled prairie felt inconsequential compared to that moment of awe. And I hadn’t even taken a single picture yet!

I snapped a couple test shots in the parking lot, and then headed to the top of the hill. We stepped into the prairie and began a short but steep climb, dew soaking our legs along the way. Even though it was still quite dark when we made it to the top, I could tell that the view would be phenomenal. 

The first few shots proved that. The moon cast a soft glow across the landscape, the first hints of morning light warmed the horizon, and the stars, planets, and comet speckled the sky above. I spent the next hour experimenting with different lenses, compositions, and exposure settings. Slowly, we inched closer to daybreak, and the comet began to fade from the sky. At first, I noticed that it was a bit harder to see without binoculars, but after a bit longer, it was starting to get more difficult to capture on camera.

But the shoot didn’t end there. As the sky brightened, it revealed the landscape that unfolded from the base of the hill. Prairie gave way to farm fields dotted with trees, ponds, and houses. We watched lights pop on, and cars begin to wind their way along the country roads. A light fog caught the early light as it spread out, hugging the ground. 

We spent a while longer snapping pictures from the hilltop, then decided to make our way home. Even though we got home just before 6 in the morning, I knew that I couldn’t sleep before editing at least one of the photos. So, I quickly imported my shots, fired up Lightroom, and threw together a quick edit. Satisfied, I finally let myself go to bed.

This shoot turned out even better than I had dared hope. I’m incredibly happy with my photos, but they somehow feel secondary to the experience of just being there. Even excluding my childhood dreams, seeing this once in a lifetime visitor left me in awe. Add watching and listening to the countryside wake up, and I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat. It’s not necessarily easy to drag myself out for a sunrise shoot, but I haven’t ever regretted the decision.