By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com
Kim Mobley typically takes pictures of tide pools, rocky beaches, ocean waves, sunsets, flowers, and her trick dog Koby.
But when the newly discovered Comet Neowise appeared in the inner solar system for the first time in thousands of years, she turned her attention to the night sky for two weeks in July.
“I do a lot of photography,” Mobley says. “Nature is my favorite. But when I heard the comet was visible from here I had to go take a look.”
The result of her work – and help from her husband and two children – show the comet from popular vantage points in Yachats, Seal Rock and Waldport.
While the comet was barely visible with the naked eye, a long exposure with a camera away from city lights showed off its long tail of dust and ice.
Mobley’s favorite was her first photographic attempt July 13 at the popular pullout along U.S. Highway 101 at Seal Rock.
“I took many photos from that spot, but due to heavy winds on the bluff causing my camera to shake, most of my photos had pretty bad motion blur and were a complete loss,” Mobley wrote of her 20-second exposure on her Canon 700 DSLR. “I was so happy to have this one turn out. I love the way the long exposure picked up on the light and color left in the sky after sunset. That and the bright light of the fishing boat, gave the illusion of a setting sun.”
Mobley shot all her photos between 10:30 and 11:10 p.m.
“I preferred it when there was a little bit of light from the sunset,” she said.
But it was returning home to Waldport after the Seal Rock shoot when she surprised even herself.
Mobley stopped on the south side of the Alsea Bay Bridge and walked to the water’s edge hoping to get a photo of the comet over the Bayshore community to the northwest.
“I was looking out over the ocean but couldn’t see it. I just turned around and there it was over the bridge,” Mobley said. “I was very happy I was able to shoot it in a different place.”
Injury led to photography
First started as a hobby, Mobley has been pursuing photography for 15 years. She worked as a horse trainer and riding instructor before an injury from a horse accident in 2005 derailed that work.
“The hobby turned into a passion,” she said.
Although bouts of vertigo are still a challenge, Mobley says she does portraits, pet and real estate photography but enjoys nature photography most of all.
“It’s very relaxing for me. I enjoy it all, from macro to wide angle,” she said. “I just enjoy it here – there’s a lot of beach, a lot of sunsets.”
She also spends a lot of time with her dog Koby, a Lhasa Apso and miniature pincer mix. Mobley taught Koby to create art using a paint brush in his mouth. She and Koby work with children, volunteer at the Waldport Library and donate proceeds from any painting to children and animal causes.
Her business is called Nature Photography Plus by Kim D. Mobley.
The comet makes a show
Neowise is one of the few comets visible to the unaided eye this century and the brightest comet since Comet Hale-Bopp in 1997.
Swinging close to the Sun earlier this month caused it to heat and glow to the point of visibility.
The comet survived its approach to the sun and is now headed back toward the outer solar system. Measuring about 3 miles across, Neowise is considered a fairly large comet.
A NASA space telescope known as NEOWISE first spotted the icy rock, officially called C/2020 F3, on March 27. The telescope is used to try and spot dangerous incoming meteors that may threaten life on Earth.
The best days to view the comet were July 14-19, according to Space.com. The comet was closest to Earth on July 22 – a mere 64 million miles away.
“From its infrared signature, we can tell that it is about 3 miles across, and by combining the infrared data with visible-light images, we can tell that the comet’s nucleus is covered with sooty, dark particles left over from its formation near the birth of our solar system 4.6 billion years ago,” Joseph Masiero, Neowise deputy principal investigator at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, told USA Today.
Last photo in Yachats
The day after her Seal Rock and Alsea Bay shoot, Mobley only went as far as her front yard in Waldport to get her next shot – working around the tall trees there. It was taken at 11:08 p.m. July 14.
“It seemed every time I would finally get focused and ready to get the shot, the comet had moved just enough that it would be behind the tree, thus meaning I would have to move my entire set up, and start all over again,” she said. “Trying to manually focus in the dark is not an easy thing to do.”
“This takes several test shots in more of a trial and error type of approach, each shot building up to the vision I have,” she said. “I can’t really see in the dark, so thank goodness we live in a day and age of digital photography, where we can at least see a preview of the shot we just took.”
Mobley’s last comet photo was taken at 10:45 p.m. July 23 from the south end of Yachats Ocean Road. This time she had her husband, Mark, and two teenagers along to help with her balance and to illuminate the rocks below with their cell phones.
The photo is unusual because the 30-second exposure made a crescent moon look like a sunset on the horizon and lights from fishing vessels dotted the ocean.
“The moon set was an extra special treat because the long exposure made the crescent moon look more like a setting sun,” she said.
And with that, her comet chasing days were over.
“I just like that it’s not something that we’ll ever see again,” Mobley said. “Plus, it was a challenge.”
