Don’t miss a spectacular comet NEOWISE in the evening sky, writes Himadri Sekhar Das

July 18: Good news for night sky lovers! If you like astro-photography, a mesmerizing object is waiting for you at the night sky nowadays. Click and shoot free with your DSLR camera! If you miss the chance, you won’t get the opportunity to see this comet again, because it will return after 6800 years! A spectacular bright comet NEOWISE is sailing in the night sky since 14 July. Spectators will be able to see it with naked eyes or using binoculars after sunset in the North-west sky which will be visible for 20 minutes. This comet will come close to Earth on July 23, 2020.

A comet is a small celestial body whose diameter may vary from 1 to 10 kilometer. It constitutes mainly of water ice, rock, and organic materials. It stays far away from the Sun in a region called Oort Cloud. Due to the attraction of the Sun and Jovian planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune), some comets from the Oort cloud enter into the Solar System and appear to us as the visible comet. The tail of a comet appears when it approaches towards Sun. A comet has two tails which are always away from the Sun. The study of comets will give astronomers information about the origin and evolution of the Solar System which had been formed some 4.5 billion years ago.

Comet NEOWISE was discovered on 27 March by the Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE), an orbiting telescope belonging to NASA, America’s space agency. The diameter of the comet’s nucleus is 5 km approx. It will come close to Earth on 23 July. Because of its brightness, it will be visible with the naked eye. After 25 years, we are observing such a bright comet which is of course, a golden opportunity for all of us. Professional photographers may take photographs from this region as it is nicely visible in Barak Valley. People around the globe are posting nice photos of this comet.

In ancient times, some superstitious beliefs like disasters, calamities, tragedies, etc are associated with the appearance of a comet. But the advancement of Science has erased the fear. Now we believe the appearance of comet NEOWISE is not related to COVID-19! Come on and observe this beautiful comet.