Last chance to observe comet NeoWise before 6,800 years

• Discovered last March, comet NeoWise has been visible for several weeks in the starry sky.
• During the night from Wednesday to Thursday, it will pass as close as possible to the Earth.
• The opportunity to observe it with binoculars, while the brightness of this comet is decreasing day by day and it will not be visible again for nearly 6,800 years.

We know that of Halley, the best known of all comets. But while waiting to be able to observe it again in July 2061, NeoWise offers these days a beautiful spectacle in the middle of the starry night.

I'm in love with the ion tail on comet Neowise right now pic.twitter.com/tk1AGwFvXs

Called C / 2020 F3, this small celestial body was discovered last March by the space telescope which tracks down asteroids in particular, and which gave it its name. After a passage as close as possible to the Sun on July 3, which allowed it to intensify its activity, this night from Wednesday to Thursday, around 1 a.m., it will be 103 million kilometers from Earth, the shortest distance between the two stars.

As it swooped away from the Sun on its latest flyby, @ NASA's Parker Solar Probe was in the perfect position to snap this unique image of Comet NEOWISE >> https://t.co/9FburEZBC2 pic.twitter.com/xp4M9bPfxN

The opportunity for astronomy enthusiasts, but also for all the curious who like to have their heads in the stars, to observe it. Because its next passage will not occur for nearly 6,800 years.

“When the comet approaches our planet, it moves away from the Sun which is at the origin of its degassing. Today, its brightness is decreasing day by day, it will be less and less visible, so now is the time to look at it, ”says Olivier Sanguy, editor-in-chief of space news at the Cité de l ' Toulouse area.

A good pair of binoculars

You don't need a telescope to see it, a pair of binoculars is more than enough to do it. "We will not see it with the naked eye as in the photos that we have seen on social networks, but it remains a very beautiful spectacle", continues the specialist.

The position of NeoWise at 11 p.m. for Parisian observers. - Capture heavens-above.com

To admire it, you have to have the horizon clear on the northwest side and wait until 10:30 p.m. - 10:45 p.m., when the Sun is setting. “We must then locate the Big Dipper and try to sweep the sky between the constellation and the northwest horizon. In Toulouse, it will be 24 ° and at 25 ° altitude in Paris. To see it, you need contrast, and that's the problem with light pollution, to see it better, it is better to go to the periphery, ”explains Olivier Sanguy.

Every evening in July 2020:
➡️ # Switch off the lights to see the magnificent plume of the #cometeneowise ☄️in principle observable with the naked eye, but in too many places spoiled by the #PollutionLumineuse 💡
➡️Post photos #SentinellesDeLaNature # WhereSontLesEtoiles @ FNEasso pic.twitter.com/xNd271bSjI

The best would still be to reduce light pollution in large cities. This is in any case the message of France Nature Environnement which calls on this occasion to turn off the light, whether it is that of individuals or public lighting in general.

Science

A second interstellar comet discovered in our solar system

Science

Space: Venus could have been habitable for three billion years, new study finds

• Astronomy
• Comet
• Planet
• Space
• Environment
• Science