Comet NEOWISE is hosting a spectacular fireball show in the night sky. I never heard it? The beauty of the bright tail has captivated kite watchers worldwide this week. Comets don’t come along our path as often, at least not the ones you can see with the naked eye.
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Comets ATLAS and SWAN had a bright promise earlier this year after passing close to the sun. That did not happen to NEOWISE, which Space.com says “emphatically” ended a spectacular quarter-century drought of comets. It is hailed as the best show since Comet Hale-Bopp in 1997.
What is that name about?
Like all A-listers, the comet has a pedigree in Southern California: the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at La Cañada Flintridge operates the deep space telescope that the comet discovered on March 27. The official name of the comet is C / 2020 F3; Added the telescope acronym, NEOWISE, for Near-Earth Wide-Field Infrared Recognition Explorer.
“In its discovery images, Comet NEOWISE appeared as a bright, fuzzy dot moving through the sky even when it was still quite far away,” said Amy Mainzer, principal investigator for NEOWISE at the University of Arizona, on the website for The NASA. “As soon as we saw how close it would be to the sun, we had hoped it would be a good show.” (Here are the first photos of her discovery).
The telescope began taking pictures in December 2009, was turned off in February 2011, restarted and renamed in 2013, and has since produced millions of infrared images of distant comets and asteroids.
Space.com describes NEOWISE’s most visually striking feature as “a beautiful, gently curved dust tail that many observers using small binoculars and telescopes have observed to have shown a remarkable yellowish tint.” I have it? That is what you will be looking for in heaven.
NASA Science Live will air an episode on NEOWISE at noon Pacific time on Wednesday on the agency’s website, as well as on its social media channels.
When is the best time to see the comet?
NEOWISE was visible last weekend in the hours before sunrise. It has now switched to night mode, allowing for more dramatic viewing against the dark night sky. So stay away from Netflix and go take a look. If you miss it, this comet will not return in about 7,000 years.
NEOWISE will be brightest about an hour and a half after sunset between now and Sunday. Look north-northwest and it should be about 10 degrees above the horizon. It will get closer to Earth on July 22. More good news: The sky will be fine and dark because the moon is in crescent mode and will not emit light that could ruin your sight.
The comet will begin to fade later in July, though it will still be visible with a small telescope until it disappears in the outer solar system in mid-August, according to Space.com.
The best ways to see the comet
- Find a dark place away from the city lights. Light pollution in urban areas creates a major obstacle when it comes to stargazing. You could drive to high points in the Angeles National Forest, the Santa Monica Mountains, or Big Bear Lake for a little bit of darkness. A little further afield, Joshua Tree and Death Valley National Parks have super-dark skies (and they’re super hot by day) that have earned them International Dark Sky Park designations.
- Fog, smoke, clouds, and fog banks can also be obstacles to seeing NEOWISE. Keep trying in the later evenings.
- You should be able to see the comet with the naked eye, but binoculars or a small telescope may help. Here are some team tips that could help beginning astronomers.
