Comet NEOWISE could give skywatchers a dazzling show this month. Here's what to know. - Space.com

Earlier this year, the NEOWISE space telescope discovered its latest comet, a distant and inconspicuous object.

At the time of its discovery on March 27, the comet — dubbed Comet NEOWISE (short for Near Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) and cataloged as C/2020 F3, was located 194 million miles (312 million kilometers) from the sun and shining at a very faint magnitude of +17 — that's about 25,000 times fainter than the faintest star that can be glimpsed with the naked eye.

But in July, Comet NEOWISE has raised hopes that it will become a tantalizing object for skywatchers after two previous comets (ATLAS and SWAN) fizzled out earlier this year. .

All the way into its approach to the sun, NEOWISE displayed a perfectly circular and well-condensed head, or coma compared to the faint, wispy, almost ghostly coma displayed by Comet ATLAS and the "hammerhead" looking coma of Comet SWAN, which foretold a possible break-up.

Well before NEOWISE's solar arrival on Friday (July 3), veteran Australian comet watcher, Michael Mattiazzo was confident that NEOWISE would remain intact, giving at least a 70% chance that it would survive its close brush with the sun. .

The comet was 27.3 million miles (44 million km) from the sun on July 3, when it was subjected to temperatures of up to 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit (593 degrees Celsus).

Astrophotographer Chris Schur spotted Comet NEOWISE early today (July 5) from Payson Arizona. .

"The comet continues to be stunning, rising tail first over the plateau, some 20 miles distant," Schur told Space.com while sharing photo he captured through an Explore Scientific AR152 mm telescope.

Just under a month late, on June 7, the comet was on the far side of the sun, 73 million miles (117 million km) distant from the star and 147 million miles (236 million km) from Earth.

But from June 22 through June 27, the comet was within the range of the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO).

During this time, the comet appeared to significantly brighten, with comet expert Charles Morris estimating a magnitude of +1.7 just before it passed out of the field of the LASCO-3 camera.

Comet NEOWISE also appeared to have developed a rather bright, albeit short and stubby forked-shaped dust tail. .

And then, quite unexpectedly, amateur astronomers were able to make sightings of Comet NEOWISE before sunrise beginning on July 1.

"Wow-- it was very bright, near magnitude +1," Ray Brooks of the Arizona Sky Village near Tucson saw the comet through binoculars and told Space.com.

On the morning of July 4,  Brooks could see Comet NEOWISE's forked double tail break the top of a nearby mountain first, followed by the comet head.

Another assiduous Arizona comet watcher is astronomer Carl Hergenrother of Tucson, who saw NEOWISE both on July 1 and July 2, describing as appearing at least as bright as a first magnitude star, in spite of it being very low to the horizon and against a bright twilight sky. .

And the highly reputable comet expert, John E.

By around July 11, the comet will reach an altitude of nearly 10 degrees — for comparison, 10 degrees is roughly equal to the width of your fist held at arm's length.

On July 22, NEOWISE will make its closest approach to the Earth, a distance of 64 million miles (103 million km).

By July 25, the comet will appear 30 degrees ("three fists") up from the west-northwest horizon as darkness falls.

Even a bright comet, like this one, can be obliterated by thin horizon clouds, haze, humid air, smoke, twilight glow, city lights, or moonlight