Comet NEOWISE Over the Islet of Females

From the photographer: “After many years of waiting, a comet finally shows itself to the naked eye. Immediately the memories go to the comet Hale Bopp and the comet Hyakutake …. another era …. during which the film was still the most used medium to shoot the sky. The comet NEOWISE 2020 is too tempting an opportunity to miss it. But how can I capture it and try to enhance our wonderful land? … It was not easy! I have tried different alignments and different solutions in an attempt to offer the world of astrophotography an original look. In the end I found a wonderful place: the island of females in the province of Palermo. As soon as I arrived at the spot I placed the camera in the hope of not having made a mistake. A layer of low clouds on the horizon prevented me from seeing the comet rise from the sea … but it rose a little higher in the sky … wow … a show that I hadn’t seen for about 20 years! the shot was not far behind! beautiful colors, the islet taken in the distance, different shades both in the sky and in the sea …. and at the top, the comet shows itself as the protagonist with its wonderful tail!”

From Wikipedia: “…Several legends have undergone the charm exercised by the now largely dilapidated tower overlooking the islet. The best known mistakenly considers the tower as a prison for women only. In reality the name “island of the females” is the result of a long process of Italianization, in fact the ancient name of the islet, according to popular tradition, was “Insula Fimi”, also the result of an approval process and derived from Eufemio island, from the name of the general Eufemio of Messina, Byzantine governor of Sicily.”

Technical details:
Canon 6d, sigma 150-600mm, f/5.6, iso 4000, 2 sec.