a comet tale

Some people are morning people. Others are night people. I am both.

Or, I once was. My usual pattern, until a couple of months ago, was to get to bed around 2 in the morning and then get up around 6. There was, Of course, a nap tucked in during the afternoon.

That pattern was set when I was in college and worked a late shift at the bank. Well, without the nap back then. Napping at twenty-something would have been sure evidence of sloth.

My recent bout of "head colds" this month and last March seem to have re-set my sleeping patterns. I still get to bed around 2, but I am now sleeping in until 9 or so.

I suppose it really does not matter. I know the reason: the colds have left me feeling more fatigued than my years would allow. Or maybe it is the combination of age and these minor bouts with viruses.

The effect is that I am now missing Mexican mornings. And I do mean "miss." I miss the birds threatening one another, the strange yellows and pinks at sunrise, and the sounds and smells of my neighbors as they begin their days and the aroma of their breakfasts fill the day. Each morning is a unique combination worth experiencing.

But what I am missing most is the opportunity to witness one of nature's most fascinating creations -- a comet. To be more precise C/2020 F3. Or its more common Matrixesque moniker -- Neowise.
Neowise shows up in our northeastern skies just before dawn. If that is too early for you night folk, it will soon be showing up in the northwestern sky just after sunset.

There is one caveat. Comets are fickle performers. A lot of us have been disappointed with the lackluster stellar performances of past comets. Yes. I am talking about you, Halley's Comet. And don't think we don't remember your world-class fizzle, Kohoutek.

Comets are fragile objects made up of rock, dust, gases, and ice. That is why they are often called "dirty snowballs." It is also why comets often just fall apart as they approach the sun. They do not do well with high temperatures.

If comets survive their encounter with the sun, they often develop a longer tail as some of the comet's material sloughs off from the heat. That is what happened to Neowise when it swung past the sun on 3 July. It now has a rather pavoine tail.

The chances are that the night people will eventually have the best view of the comet. It appears that the comet will survive its visit to our solar system. But, you need to get out there and see it soon. It will not stamp its passport for another visit for another 6800 years.

And, if you choose the evening, you will always have an opening act of some of the most colorful sunsets in the world.

Something both morning and night people can enjoy.