--- title: "Here Are The Most Amazing Shots of the NEOWISE Comet" description: "Comet NEOWISE has been visible to the naked eye over the weekend. The rare event was captured on camera by amateurs and professionals alike." date: "2020-07-13" modified: "2020-07-13" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/amazing-shots-neowise-comet" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "comet" - "Comets" - "neowise project" --- # Here Are The Most Amazing Shots of the NEOWISE Comet ![Comet NEOWISE has been visible to the naked eye over the weekend. The rare event was captured on camera by amateurs and professionals alike.]() *\Image: NASA\* Comet C/2020 F3 — better known as NEOWISE, for the Near Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer telescope that first discovered it — has came so close to Earth over the weekend that it's visible to the naked eye, blazing brightly over Northern skies. The rare event was captured on camera by amateurs and professionals alike from around the globe — and the results are dazzling. For instance, just check out this short video from the International Space Station. https://twitter.com/ThespaceAcad/status/1282008302369546247 The space rock was about 194 million miles from the Sun when first discovered in March, making it far too faint to see with the naked eye. But over the last few months, the comet has become far brighter as it's approached. https://twitter.com/LAKSuperiorFoto/status/1282604662466793473 On July 3, it was only 27.3 million miles (44 million km) from the Sun. To put that into perspective, the closest flyby of the Sun by an artificial object was NASA's Parker Solar Probe back in January, passing by our star at a [mere 18.7 million kilometers](). In fact, the solar probe was able to [get its own look]() at the comet on July 5, according to NASA. Astronomers were concerned the comet would not survive such a close encounter, but as evidenced by this weekend's sightings, it seems to be doing fine. https://twitter.com/konstructivizm/status/1282674217801134081 Its "tail" or "coma" is extremely visible, making it stand out against its predecessors, ATLAS and SWAN, as [*Space.com* reports](), which only had very faint paths of condensed heat following their paths. https://twitter.com/Komet123Jager/status/1282591702851690497 While astronomers discover hundreds of comets every single year, every once in a while a "great" comet passes by our planet and appears considerably brighter. [According to *Space.com*](), the last comet that was of a comparable brightness was Comet Hale-Bopp in 1997. https://www.instagram.com/p/CChAIPNhBIA/ **READ MORE:** [Comet NEOWISE could give skywatchers a dazzling show this month. Here's what to know.]() \[*Space.com*\] **More on comets:** *[NASA: Something Is Off About This Interstellar Comet]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()