Comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE shining over the city of Athens, Greece and Mount Pentelicus on July 9, 2020 at 05:00am, 1 hour before sunrise. A single 10-second exposure.
NEOWISE is a retrograde comet with a near-parabolic orbit discovered on March 27, 2020 by the NEOWISE space telescope.
NEOWISE passed closest to the Sun on July 3, 2020. By June 10, 2020 as the comet was being lost to the glare of the Sun, it was apparent magnitude 7. When the comet entered the field of view of SOHO LASCO C3 on June 22, 2020 the comet had brightened to magnitude 3. As of July, Comet NEOWISE has brightened to magnitude +1 and it is visible to the naked eye.
Closest approach to Earth will occur July 23, 2020 at a distance of 103 million km. This perihelion passage will increase the comet's orbital period from about 4500 years to about 6800 years.
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