While right now comet NEOWISE is visible and something we should all take the time to view it will be closest to our planet very soon. This meaning, it may become even more of a special show than you might realize.
Comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE for those with binoculars or a telescope has been quite the treat and the brighter it gets the more clear it becomes. It could end up being visible to the naked eye properly depending on how things play out. As this comet moves forth, many astrophotographers have been getting some pretty amazing images of it and well, we’re all blown away.
Comet NEOWISE will be closest to our planet on the 23rd of this month (July). We will not be seeing this comet again until the year 8786 according to IndiaTimes and that’s only if it doesn’t end up breaking apart before coming back around. This meaning right now is our best bet at getting as many glances at it as possible.
In regard to this close passing Earth Sky wrote as follows:
Comet NEOWISE will be closest to Earth on July 22-23, 2020. It will pass at some 64 million miles (103 million km) from our planet. The good news is that – if the comet continues looking great – the view during the night of closest approach should be nice for many of us at temperate latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. Although binoculars are required for the celestial visitor, it will be visible at the same time we see a beautiful crescent (not too bright) moon.
Again, be sure to bring along binoculars if you want to see Comet NEOWISE. If you don’t have binocs but do have a good camera, a great alternative is to capture a few seconds long exposure image of the approximate area of the sky. Try at different magnification or zoom settings, and the results should reveal the comet’s nice tail.
While we’ve had a few different bright comets come through this year, most broke apart before they got to this point. The fact that this one is still going strong is a great sign. It really could set us up for a great show.
During this close approach, this comet will be a bit higher in the sky as well, IndiaTimes wrote as follows on its approach:
Some astronomers even feel that the Comet Neowise might become more intense and turn into a ‘great comet’ where it will shine brighter and will also be easily visible in the skies. Earth hasn’t come across one since Hale-Bopp comet in the year 1997.
But it is important to note that comets are also known to be notoriously unpredictable, and just explode on its journey. Hopefully, we get to see the beauty before this occurs.
In case you cannot wait for the comet till the 23rd of July, you can always check TheSkyLive to see where the comet is. You might need to take help of a pair of binoculars to see it clearly though.
Will you be taking the time to view this interesting comet? I for one will be checking it out every chance I get. Things like this are always fascinating.