Sainte Foy Tarentaise : 20 July 2020
On a clear night in the mountains, the heavens are an awesome sight. Some might say the greatest show on Earth, and it’s absolutely free! Last night we were out stargazing in Sainte Foy, and it was a very special night indeed.
We are in a new moon phase, meaning it gives off very little light and allows the stars to shine at their brightest. We also had the magic of Comet Neowise in the northern sky, and Saturn shining brightly in the southern sky.
Even though the comet looks as if it is about to crash into the mountains above La Mazure, it is actually 160 million miles away. Just think how long its tail must be!
Thanks to Matthew Gojevic for the lead photo, (MattyG Cooks. Not just an amazing chef).
If you would like to see the comet for yourselves, it is flying off the bucket end of The Plough, (also known as Ursa Major), in the northern sky. If you are in Sainte Foy at the moment, it looks like it is heading straight for the mountains above La Mazure at 1 am every morning until the end of the month.
Saturn is shining the brightest that we ever see it at the moment, and this is because the Sun, the Earth and Saturn are all in a line, and this means that Saturn is the closest to Earth that it ever gets. It is easy to spot because it is the brightest light in the southern sky at the moment, but not having a tail, it is more difficult to detect its direction of travel!
Sat on your balcony in Sainte Foy at one o’clock in the morning, being amazed by the wonder of the stars on a clear night, is a very special feeling indeed. But wherever you are, enjoy gazing at the heavens and good luck in spotting the comet!
Read other articles about Sainte Foy on the Time to Ski blog page
