Published 19:04 IST, July 12th 2020
Comet NEOWISE to be clearly visible in India for 20 days form July 14 onwards
While people around the globe have been sharing stunning images of comet NEOWISE, Indians can also now observe it in the north-western sky from July 14 onwards.
Comet C/2020 F3, also known as NEOWISE, was discovered earlier this year by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer telescope. While people around the globe recently have been sharing stunning images of the comet, Indians can also now observe NEOWISE in the north-western sky from July 14, according to the deputy director of Pathani Samanta Planetarium in Odisha’s Bhubaneswar.
While speaking to ANI, Dr Subhendu Pattnaik informed that from July 14 comet C/2020 F3 will be clearly visible in the sky for the next 20 days in India. While announcing the ‘good news’, he also informed that the comet can be observed with naked eyes after sunset for about 20 minutes.
Dr Pattnaik said, “A far better viewing perspective will be available in the evening sky starting around July 14, when it will appear low in the northwest sky (20 degrees from the horizon) for around 20 minutes. In the evenings to follow, the comet will rapidly climb higher in the sky and will be visible for a longer period”.
While he recommended a pair of binoculars to have a better viewing experience, he also added that around July 30 NEOWISE can be seen near Ursa Major at an altitude of 40 degrees. Further, he said that after July it will fade away very fast and will not be visible to the unaided eye. He also informed once it disappears it will not be visible for the next 6,800 years.
Comet NEOWISE
The NEOWISE comet has been an intriguing site for several wanderers of the sky. It was first discovered on March 27, 2020, using a NEOWISE (Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) space telescope. After its discovery, it was listed as C/2020 F3 which was located 312 million kilometres (194 million miles) from the sun. At a very faint magnitude of +17, it is considered to be 25,000 times fainter than the faintest star that can be glimpsed with the naked eye.
The comet had its closest approach to the Sun last week on July 2 at 43 million kilometres and will reach the maximum point in the dawn sky on July 11 before it gradually moves towards the horizon each day. It is believed that if Comet NEOWISE manages to remain brighter through this phase. The NEOWISE will be closest to the Earth between July 22 and July 23, when it streaks just over 10 crore kilometres from the planet. This is when it will be visible in the Northern hemisphere right after sunset.
Updated 19:04 IST, July 12th 2020