How To See Comet NEOWISE, Earth’s Most Spectacular Comet Since 2007

How To See Comet NEOWISE, Earth’s Most Spectacular Comet Since 2007

“From Earth, these comets typically appear brightest during closest approach. Bright, naked-eye comets are rare, with 1997’s Hale-Bopp serving as our most recent “great comet.” Since then, only 2007’s Comet McNaught was comparable, primarily to southern hemisphere observers. But in July of 2020, Comet NEOWISE will put on Earth’s greatest cometary show in 13 years. With a 6,800 year orbital period, it last appeared before the wheel was invented. On July 3, 2020, it reached perihelion, surviving a perilous encounter with the Sun.”

Most potentially exciting comets fizzle rather than sizzle, but Comet NEOWISE is looking to be an exception. On July 3, it passed its closest to the Sun, surviving the encounter and brightening significantly. Very close to the Sun right now from our perspective, it’s just about to transition from a pre-dawn to a post-sunset comet. You can easily see it with binoculars if you know where to look (images in the article), but it will continue to brighten until July 23, 2020, where it just might become the most spectacular comet in more than a decade.

Comet NEOWISE is already here, and now begins your chance to see it, particularly if you live in the northern hemisphere. Get out there and look!