Everybody has heard of Halley's comet and its regular orbit viewable from Earth every seventy-five years or so. (Young people, you can start looking for it in 2062.) And many people have memories of the Hale-Bopp comet from when it first showed up in our planetary neighborhood twenty-five years ago. But the NEOWISE comet? No one, not a single person, nadie, had ever heard of it until the middle of last March when it was discovered by and named after the space telescope used in its detection.
Comets excite both casual stargazers and seasoned astronomers for a number of reasons. For one thing, like NEOWISE, they often surprise us, appearing from the farthest reaches of our solar system unpredictably. Their sneaky first-time visits are difficult to notice since comets are very small bodies, often just a few miles across. Comprised of mostly ice and dust, they're early leftover remnants from the formation of our sun's orbiting bodies billions of years ago.
But the fun with comets really starts when they travel into our inner solar system, closer to the Sun. Our bright star's energy creates a comet's renowned glowing head along with its gas- and dust-spewing tail. The spectacle might represent to some of us a cosmic omen but more likely it's a cue to begin oohing and ahhing at a freeze-framed fireworks show.
However it might actually be asteroids we should be paying more attention to. More common and comprised mostly of rock and metal, they are usually in regular orbits much nearer to the Sun and our home planet. Smaller asteroids are called meteoroids, which become meteors when they enter our atmosphere, plummeting to Earth's surface in their own fiery but fleeting display.
You might be asking why didn't the average Earthling hear of the comet NEOWISE until just this month, July? Well, for one thing, another subject spelled in capital letters was beginning to demand our attention at the start of spring: COVID-19. But more likely it's because many comets don't survive their near approach to our massive sun. Instead of passing by in an energized blaze of glory they disintegrate into small pieces.
Fortunately NEOWISE survived intact to make another spin around the Sun. But before heading billions and billions of miles beyond even Pluto's far-off orbit, it's gracing our post-sunset and pre-sunrise northern hemisphere skies with its spectacular display. For now it's located in the Ursa Major constellation, close to the bowl of the easy-to-find Big Dipper star formation.
After comet NEOWISE's departure and barring any new cosmic surprises, Halley's return in forty-five years is the next show-stopping comet we can count on. We'll have to be more patient for Hale-Bopp because its much farther orbit won't allow a return for more than two millennia. And what about our newest discovery, NEOWISE? Well, you might want to take a look in the sky pretty soon to decide for yourself whether it's worth the almost seven thousand-year wait.
Comets excite both casual stargazers and seasoned astronomers for a number of reasons. For one thing, like NEOWISE, they often surprise us, appearing from the farthest reaches of our solar system unpredictably. Their sneaky first-time visits are difficult to notice since comets are very small bodies, often just a few miles across. Comprised of mostly ice and dust, they're early leftover remnants from the formation of our sun's orbiting bodies billions of years ago.
But the fun with comets really starts when they travel into our inner solar system, closer to the Sun. Our bright star's energy creates a comet's renowned glowing head along with its gas- and dust-spewing tail. The spectacle might represent to some of us a cosmic omen but more likely it's a cue to begin oohing and ahhing at a freeze-framed fireworks show.
However it might actually be asteroids we should be paying more attention to. More common and comprised mostly of rock and metal, they are usually in regular orbits much nearer to the Sun and our home planet. Smaller asteroids are called meteoroids, which become meteors when they enter our atmosphere, plummeting to Earth's surface in their own fiery but fleeting display.
You might be asking why didn't the average Earthling hear of the comet NEOWISE until just this month, July? Well, for one thing, another subject spelled in capital letters was beginning to demand our attention at the start of spring: COVID-19. But more likely it's because many comets don't survive their near approach to our massive sun. Instead of passing by in an energized blaze of glory they disintegrate into small pieces.
Fortunately NEOWISE survived intact to make another spin around the Sun. But before heading billions and billions of miles beyond even Pluto's far-off orbit, it's gracing our post-sunset and pre-sunrise northern hemisphere skies with its spectacular display. For now it's located in the Ursa Major constellation, close to the bowl of the easy-to-find Big Dipper star formation.
After comet NEOWISE's departure and barring any new cosmic surprises, Halley's return in forty-five years is the next show-stopping comet we can count on. We'll have to be more patient for Hale-Bopp because its much farther orbit won't allow a return for more than two millennia. And what about our newest discovery, NEOWISE? Well, you might want to take a look in the sky pretty soon to decide for yourself whether it's worth the almost seven thousand-year wait.
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| Comet Neowise west of Prescott, Arizona after sunset on July 18th. |
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| Comet NEOWISE west of Prescott, Arizona after sunset on July 18th. |
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| Comet NEOWISE west of Prescott, Arizona on July 18th. |
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| Comet NEOWISE below the Big Dipper on July 18th west of Prescott, Arizona. |
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