A newly discovered comet called NEOWISE is now visible to the naked eye, becoming one of the most easily visible comets in decades. Known by its official name, 'C/2020 F3', the comet can be seen with the naked eye throughout the month of July for those of you willing to stay up late enough, or get up early enough, to see the majestic cosmic body.
First spotted by NASA in March, it has survived a loop around the sun and is heading in our direction. As the comet heats up from the rays of the sun, it melts and releases a plume of smoke and debris, giving it its distinctive tail.
It will however only be visible from northern hemisphere, and can be best seen just after nightfall or just before sunrise. Before July 11th, it will be best seen just before sunrise when it reaches the highest point in the sky, but by mid-July it will be best seen just after sunset, close to the horizon in the north-west quarter of the sky. It can be better seen using binoculars or a small telescope if you have one handy. Don't worry, looking at the comet with binoculars or a telescope won't damage your eyes the same way it would if you looked at the sun, which you should never do under any circumstances!
Paul Delaney, an astronomy professor at York University, spoke of the comet to Global News. He said:
"About once a decade you get [a comet] that is really bright, [with] naked eye visibility. That's surprisingly what NEOWISE has become. We weren't expecting it."
NEOWISE is the first great comet of 2020, two previously anticipated comets, Comet SWAN and Comet ATLAS, which were hoped to be visible this year broke-up and disintegrated. This often occurs as the icy bodies of comets are inherently unstable.
Rising Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) over Santa Catalina Mountains. AT72ED + Sony A7S + GIMP, ISO 800, 280X1/4s. This is my second try made this morning near the Rillito River Park, Tucson, AZ, USA.#cometNEOWISE #NEOWISE #comet pic.twitter.com/0eKNV6RYnL
— Jianwei Lyu (@astroskii77) July 5, 2020
Comet NEOWISE and the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada 🍁! I was up really early for this shot. It's not often that we get the opportunity to see or photograph a comet of this brightness and with a tail. I hope you like it!🤩 https://t.co/BFyxFFw2DE pic.twitter.com/sGZBiEVryM
— Kerry LH💫 (@weatherandsky) July 5, 2020
#Comet C/2020 F3 #NEOWISE over Santa Catalina Mountains, Tucson, AZ. Photographed with astro-modified Sony A7s and 400/5.6 telephoto lens. 38 frames of 0.25s exposure, background grandient removed and stacked. 2020-07-04 ~11:30 UTC pic.twitter.com/lXVlPbrMxW
— Yujing "Eugene" Qin (@yujing_qin) July 4, 2020
Comet NEOWISE is the best comet in decades. See it low in the NE about 75 minutes before sunrise. This photo July 7, Portal, AZ. pic.twitter.com/OoxtfgXt8i
— Fred Espenak (@FEspenak) July 7, 2020
It is expected that by August, NEOWISE will disappear into its orbit, and it is uncertain whether we will ever see it again. So, if you want to see it in your lifetime it would be a good idea to see it now!
Some of the pictures of the comet being shared online are amazing, and NASA has appealed for photographs to be submitted to its Astronomy Picture of the Day program.
Set your alarm, get your camera ready and snap your piece of history!
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