Watch: Astronomer Captures Time-Lapse of Passing Comet

A staff astronomer at the W.M. Keck Observatory captured video of the Comet NEOWISE from Mauna Loa.

The comet was filmed during twilight on July 17 by Josh Walawender, who created time-lapse videos of the event. Walawender wrote about the experience in his blog, explaining he was driving up the Mauna Loa access road to meet friends to look for the comet.

When the astronomer and his friends found a place to stop, they watched the northeastern sky for its presence.

“We eventually spotted it in binoculars through a gap in some cirrus that was skirting the horizon,” Walawender wrote. “As it got dark, the comet and its tail became visible to the naked eye.”

Click here to read more about Walawender’s experience.

Videos are courtesy of Josh Walawender, W. M. Keck Observatory Astronomer.