Deputy director of Pathani Samanta Planetarium in Odisha, Dr Subhendu Pattnaik, has said that comet C/2020 F3 or NEOWISE will be in India in the north-western sky from July 14 and that too with naked eyes.
“From July 14, C/2020 F3 will be clearly visible in the north-western sky. It will be visible after sunset for around 20 minutes for the next 20 days. People can observe it with naked eyes,” reported Hindustan Times quoting Dr Pattnaik.
Reportedly, NEOWISE was visible in the hour before dawn sky till about the middle of the month.
Speaking further Dr Pattanaik said that a better viewing perspective will be available in the evening sky starting around July 14 and 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,” Dr Pattnaik added.
“Viewing the comet with a pair of binoculars will give a better viewing experience,” Dr Pattanaik added.
NEOWISE was discovered in March this year by NASA’s NEOWISE mission.
The comet will make its closest approach to Earth on July 22 and it will be at a distance of about 103 million kilometres from earth.