The Great Comet of 2020 (NEOWISE)

July 20, 2020
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Copyright: Bettymaya Foott

Discovered March 27 of this year by the Infrared WISE Space Telescope, Comet NEOWISE (or by its formal designation C/2020 F3) has become the talk of much of the northern hemisphere as it has brightened to the point of being visible in the night sky to the naked eye!

Comet NEOWISE will be it's closest to the Earth (and thus most likely brightest in the sky) on July 22 but it can and should be observed before and after that time. NEOWISE is the brightest comet since Comet Hale-Bopp back in 1997 and, much like it, NEOWISE is a long period comet and will not visit Earth for another 6,700 years.

If you would like to observe this comet but don't know how or where to start please check the video linked below and happy observing!