Comet NEOWISE is 'an awesome sight' from space, astronaut says (video) - Space.com

And comet viewing soon won't be just for early risers.

NEOWISE rounded the sun on July 3, coming within 27.3 million miles (44 million kilometers) of our star.

The comet survived this high-temperature close encounter, and NEOWISE has now put enough distance between itself and the sun to be spotted by naked-eye observers in clear and dark predawn skies — and by astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS).

For observers on the ground, NEOWISE will climb higher in the predawn sky over the next few days, reaching about 10 degrees above the northeast horizon around July 11, according to Space.com skywatching columnist Joe Rao.

But evening viewing opportunities will be ramping up as the early-morning ones slip away; NEOWISE will start appearing low in the northwest evening sky around July 12.

"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.

And on July 30-31st, the comet will be passing just to the north of the fine star cluster of Coma Berenices, or Berenice's Hair.".

Comet NEOWISE was discovered on March 27 of this year by researchers analyzing imagery captured by NASA's Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer spacecraft (hence the name).

The current viewing opportunity represents your only shot to get a look at the long-period comet, which won't be back in our neck of the cosmic woods for thousands of years.