There's A New Comet Streaking Across The Sky & It's Visible From Canada

It was only discovered in March.
Senior Writer

This is exciting! The Comet NEOWISE is a newly discovered one and it has started to streak across the sky. It's actually visible from Canada if you know how and when to look for it. 

Comet NEOWISE was named after the telescope that discovered it back on March 27.

Then it was only visible through powerful telescopes but now it has brightened which makes it easier to spot.

Right now, you have to be willing to get up early or to see it through binoculars or a camera because it rises at about 3:30 a.m. local time.

If you look northeast and towards the constellation Auriga, that's where the comet will be.

According to EarthSky, you can use a good camera to capture a long exposure image of where the comet will be and it should reveal its sparkly tail.

You might have to try out different zoom settings to get the perfect shot.

This celestial visitor will be the highest in the early morning sky on July 11.

Then from July 12, it will start to be visible just after sunset along the horizon to the northwest near the Big Dipper.

During the second half of the month, the comet will be easier to see if it stays bright because it'll be higher in the dark evening sky.

Comet NEOWISE will make its closest approach to Earth on the night of July 22 and into July 23.

It'll be 103 million kilometres away.

If it stays bright, the views that night should be stunning.

That's because the close approach coincides with a crescent moon so there won't be a lot of light in the sky like there would be with a full moon.

Seeing the comet depends on it remaining bright and staying together.

Also, if you want to get the best views of it while it's still at it's prime, you should be as far away from light pollution as possible.

Recently a penumbral lunar eclipse was visible from most of Canada.

There are more celestial events coming up that will make the summer exciting from space lovers.

  • Senior Writer

    Lisa Belmonte (she/her) is a Senior Writer with Narcity Media. After graduating with a Bachelor of Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), she joined the Narcity team. Lisa covers news and notices from across the country from a Canada-wide perspective. Her early coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic earned Narcity its first-ever national journalism award nomination.

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