Skip to Main Content

Stars, Comets & The Night Sky

Information and resources for experiencing astronomical events.

About Comet NEOWISE

According to NASA, Comet NEOWISE is a newly discovered comet. It was seen for the first time on March 27, 2020 by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) mission. The comet will have the best visibility in the evening sky until July 23, 2020, and may be observable until early August. However it's visible only in the Northern Hemisphere.

Space.com reports the comet is approximately 70 million miles from Earth and is moving at a speed of 40 miles per second, or 144,000 miles per hour.

How To See Comet NEOWISE

Recommendations from NASA about how to see Comet NEOWISE in the evening sky:

  • Find a spot away from city lights and light pollution with an unobstructed view of the sky.
  • Just after sunset, look below the Big Dipper in the northwest sky.
  • While it can be seen with the naked eye, use binoculars or a small telescope for the clearest view of the comet.

The Night Sky

Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Naval Research Lab/Parker Solar Probe/Brendan Gallagher. https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13661

Skychart showing the location of Comet C/2020 F3 just after sunset, July 15 through 23.

Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/how-to-see-comet-neowise