The NEOWISE comet has now become visible to the naked eye.
Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) was discovered in late March. As it approaches Earth on its way through the solar system, word began quickly spreading of the comet’s ability to be seen with the unaided eye. The comet has been photographed behind may famous sites around the globe.
The traveling iceberg is bright and can be findable in the early morning, but will be able to be seen in the early evening sky next week.
From scitechdaily.com:
“We may have a naked eye comet visible in the evenings later in July 2020. However, we had two other promising comets this year [C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) and C/2020 F8 (SWAN)] that both broke up as they got closer to the Sun and did not end up being visible. This current comet, C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE), was discovered on March 27, 2020. It will make its closest approach to the Sun on July 3, passing closer to the Sun than Mercury. If (and this is a big if) it does not break up, in its current orbit it should make its closest pass by the Earth on July 23. For the Washington, D.C. area, we may be able to see it near its closest on July 22 after moonset (at 10:14 p.m. EDT), when it will be about 20 degrees above the horizon in the northwest, but before the comet sets in the north-northwest just after 1 a.m. on July 23, 2020.”
