A comet will be visible in the night skies of the Northern Hemisphere throughout July, and it is the most spectacular we have seen in more than two decades.
Comet Neowise was discovered by a space telescope in late March. It is rare that he has survived a close encounter with the sun, passing at approximately the same distance as Mercury.
During its closest approach to Earth, Neowise will be about 64 million miles away, or about 400 times farther than the moon.
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‘Visible to the naked eye’
A NASA spokesman said: “A comet suddenly became visible to the naked eye.
“Comet C / 2020 F3 (Neowise) was discovered in late March and lit up when it reached its closest approach to the sun, within Mercury’s orbit, late last week.
“The interplanetary iceberg survived solar warming, until now, and is now approaching Earth as it begins its long trek back to the outer Solar System.
“As the Neowise Comet became one of the few naked eye kites of the 21st century, word spread quickly, and the comet has already been photographed behind many famous sites and cities around the world.”
How to spot Comet Neowise
You will have to get up early (or stay up late) – in mid-July, Neowise is most visible around 80 minutes before sunrise. However, if the sky is clear, you should be able to see it all night.
The best way to detect it is to first search for perhaps the most famous constellation in the sky of the northern hemisphere; The Plow – also known as The Big Dipper. Look east on a clear night in an area with little light pollution and you should be able to see it.
Neowise will be below The Plow, about 10 degrees above the horizon.
The comet passed closer to Earth on July 23, when it was below and just to the right of The Plow.
On July 25 it was directly below him, before continuing to move west and slightly up.
Space.com advises: “His closed fist, held at arm’s length, is approximately 10 degrees wide. So, on these mornings, the head of Comet Neowise will appear on ‘a fist’ from the northeast horizon.
The comet is moving away from Earth, so you may need binoculars to see it in late July.
How to Photograph the Comet Neowise
If you want to get a good shot of Neowise, it’s probably the last week that you can.
You’ll need to use a fairly long exposure to capture the comet at its best, something in the area of 5-10 seconds.
You need to set your lens to its maximum and maximum aperture and also set a relatively high ISO, somewhere between 800 and 3,200.
Unless you have an incredibly steady hand, you will need a tripod to make sure your image is clear.
Find an interesting building or close-up shooting scene to add extra flair to your photography.
