Comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE over Four Peaks

After seeing several photos appear over the last couple of days of Comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE I spent a couple of hours yesterday figuring out this shot.  I knew that the comet becomes visible in the early hours from the comet’s rise at about 3:30AM until the sky gets too bright around 4:50AM and that it would rise in the Northeast.  The most prominent feature to the NE in my 50 mile vicinity is the 7000 feet plus Four Peaks.  After figuring out how to convert equatorial declination and right ascension to where exactly the comet would rise and then figuring out exactly where I could get a high enough vantage point to have an unobstructed view of Four Peaks, I ventured off on the 30 mile journey at 3:00AM.  The one thing that Google and Ephemeris do not tell you is plant growth so I am glad I got there well before my anticipated time to take my shot (which I figured would be around 4:30 in order to get some color to the east and the comet above Four Peaks) to find a vantage point in the dark.  My research efforts paid off big time with this photo taken at 4:43AM…

(Please click on the image to see it against a darker background)