Seen the Majestic Photos of NEOWISE Comet? Here's When You Can Snap Your Own in India

Comet Neowise appears over Mount Washington in the night sky as seen from Dee Wright Observatory on McKenzie Pass east of Springfield on July 14, 2020. According to NASA the lower tail, which appears broad and fuzzy, is the dust tail created when dust lifts off the surface of the comet's nucleus and trails behind the comet in its orbit. The upper tail is the ion tail, which is made up of gases that have been ionized by losing electrons in the sun's intense light. (Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard via AP)

NEOWISE telescope spotted the comet near Sun on July 3. When it came closer to Sun, its outer layers got scorched, erupting dust, gas and debris from its icy mass. But, Comet NEOWISE has still retained most of its fiery mass.

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Last Updated: July 18, 2020, 7:14 PM IST

Celestial events have always fascinated humans.

Now, sky-gazers are waiting for Comet NEOWISE, which will appear in the Indian sky this week.

NEOWISE has been named after NASA's Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, the space telescope that first observed the comet in March.

According to Hindustan Times, the comet will be best viewed with naked eyes around sunset on July 22 and July 23.

"If you're in the Northern Hemisphere, you can see it. As the next couple of days progress, it will get higher in the evening sky, so you're going to want to look northwest right under the Big Dipper," reported space.com quoting Joe Masiero, deputy principal investigator of NEOWISE telescope.

How to spot Comet NEOWISE

Those who want to view the comet need to wait until 45 minutes after sunset when the first stars start appearing.

If people are watching it with naked eyes, it will look like a fuzzy star with a bit of a tail. But, if they use binoculars or a small telescope, they will get a much clearer view.

NEOWISE telescope spotted the comet near Sun on July 3. When it came closer to Sun, its outer layers got scorched, erupting dust, gas and debris from its icy mass. But, Comet NEOWISE has still retained most of its fiery mass.

The comet is expected to disappear by mid-August.