(ORDO NEWS) — On March 27 this year, NASA‘s NEOWISE space telescope discovered a space visitor.
“From its infrared spectrum, we can say that the comet is 5 kilometers wide, the comet’s nucleus is covered with dark particles left over from the formation of our solar system 4.6 billion years ago,” says Joseph Macierro, deputy chief researcher at NEOWISE, at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory California
In fact, the comet NEOWISE is still incredibly far from us (more than 100 million kilometers), and its brightness is due to the fact that the particles and gases around the comet are illuminated by the Sun during its flight.
On July 3, it reached its perihelion (the closest point to the Sun in its orbit) and now began its slow and long journey back to the outer regions of the solar system.
Comet NEOWISE from ISS, July 5th pic.twitter.com/pAbGdtchAc
— Seán Doran (@_TheSeaning) July 7, 2020
Comet NEOWISE has begun to move away from the Sun, and now it is moving toward the Earth, and the maximum approach to the Earth will occur on July 22. In the Northern Hemisphere, on July 14-19, the comet will be visible to the naked eye (but it can best be seen with a small telescope or even binoculars). About an hour and a half after sunset.
Where to look depends on where you are, EarthSky provided detailed instructions.
In August, Comet NEOWISE and Earth will disperse, and the icy traveler will continue to move in its orbit back to the outer solar system.
The next time the comet will approach the Earth after 6800 years.
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