As Comet Tsuchinshan approached the Sun, I spent several early mornings keeping watch on Avenue A across from Key Food, and never saw anything but clouds.
But on Monday and Tuesday of this week, the comet rounded the Sun, and the vigil continued at sunset, either on the Staten Island Ferry or Battery Park.
The Friday evening crowd included people from all over the world, and a massive cruise ship, the "Norwegian Joy" sailed down the Hudson and blocked the Sun.
It is creepy to see that while inbound, the tail appeared behind the comet, but now it is swinging around and appearing ahead of the comet. If the skies are clear on Saturday, I recommend getting on the outbound ferry at 6 p.m. and riding back inbound at 6:30 p.m. Tsuchinshan should be a little higher each night for the next two weeks.
Ed note: If you miss it, NASA estimates it will be back in another 80,000 years.
