Comet C/2020 F3 Neowise

Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) was one of the most spectacular and widely viewed comets of the 21st century. Discovered on March 27, 2020 by NASA’s NEOWISE (Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) space telescope, the comet quickly gained attention for its brightness and stunning appearance. As it approached the Sun, it developed a vivid dust tail and a faint ion tail, both stretching across the sky, making it easily visible even to the naked eye in the early mornings and evenings of July 2020. It reached perihelion (its closest point to the Sun) on July 3, 2020, and became brighter than many stars in the sky shortly thereafter.

What made Comet NEOWISE especially memorable was its visibility from both hemispheres and its exceptional brightness, which peaked at around magnitude 1—making it one of the brightest comets visible in the Northern Hemisphere since Comet Hale-Bopp in 1997. Observers reported seeing it clearly without optical aid, especially from dark-sky areas, and it was a favorite target for photographers due to its long, curved tail and position against twilight skies. Unlike many comets that require telescopes or binoculars to observe, NEOWISE was an accessible and awe-inspiring event for millions of people worldwide during a time when the global pandemic had limited many other public experiences.

Comet C/2020 F3 (Neowise)

Comet C/2020 F3 (Neowise)

Comet NEOWISE follows a long, elliptical orbit and won’t return to the inner solar system for another 6,800 years, making its 2020 appearance a once-in-a-lifetime event. Its passage offered astronomers a valuable opportunity to study a pristine object from the outer reaches of the solar system, revealing insights into the early solar system’s composition. For many, NEOWISE was not just a rare astronomical phenomenon but also a moment of shared wonder and beauty during an otherwise difficult year, making it one of the most beloved celestial events of the decade.