Comet C/2020 F3 was first discovered in March of this year. The celestial wonder, “Neowise,” was quickly renamed based on the telescope used during its discovery. We have not had a comet visible to the naked eye since Hale Bop in 1997. The end of this month is when Neowise will be closest to the earth, and Austin has some great places to spot this once-in-a-lifetime event. You definitely don’t want to miss out on this experience.
To find Neowise, all you need to do is spot The Big Dipper. The comet will be roughly to the left or bottom of the constellation. Not sure how to spot The Big Dipper? Download an app like Night Sky to make finding Neowise a breeze.
To enhance your viewing experience, make sure to have a pair of binoculars or a telescope on hand. For those who do not have the equipment, you can see Neowise with the naked eye. It just takes a bit more effort.
As you might imagine, the city’s perfect viewing location is Mount Bonnell during the hours of 8 PM and 2 AM. This will give you a gorgeous view north enough of the city to help fight some of the light pollution from downtown. If you can, drive out to a rural area such as Enchanted Rock State Park. This will provide you with a stellar view of the night sky right in the heart of hill country nature.
Neowise will not be visible on Earth for another 6,800 years, so take the chance while you still can.
To learn more about comet science, how Comet NEOWISE was discovered, or how you can spot it in the sky, view this video below provided by NASA.
