by Conscious Reminder
On 22nd July, Comet C/2020 F3 is coming in close to our Earth and it has enticed both skywatchers and non-skywatchers.
In Eastern Time, around 9:09 p.m, the comet will be closest to Earth and reach its pedigree. As per the orbit calculator of NASA, it will be 0.69 AU away from Earth, which is around 64.3 million miles. Such closeness means that you can even see the comet coursing by minus any binoculars or telescope.
Northern Hemisphere skywatchers can spot it after the sun sets. It will be visible in Ursa Major and will be just below the Big Dipper.
The sky map of NASA has been tracking NEOWISE’s location through the evening sky throughout July 2020. Gianluca Masi, an astrophysicist of The Virtual Telescope Project, will be streaming it from a live telescope at around 3 pm Eastern Time. Catch it on Space.com or Youtube.
Lowell Observatory, located in Flagstaff in Arizona, will also be live streaming this phenomenon at 11:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Director Jeff Hall, of the Lowell Observatory, and the senior astronomer, Dave Schleicher, will be discussing how important this comet is for history and for astronomers.
\They will also talk about how the viewers can become a part of history too. Lowell Observatory will also live stream on YouTube.
Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) was captured on July 18th by Gianluca Masi. The comet is now in its dimming phase while it’s traveling closer and closer to Earth.
If it gets too faded in such proximity, then you might require a telescope or binoculars to look at it. However, if you miss it, you won’t be able to see it again. Due to its long orbit, the comet will come back 6800 years later.
Bill Dunford, an astrophotographer and the social media specialist at NASA, captured a view of the comet as it coursed through the pre-dawn sky earlier this month.
It has swooped around the sun and is on the outward leg of its journey. When it is in the perihelion, the farthest distance from the sun, it will be 715 AU from Earth.
It’s not a thing to miss!
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