A bright comet

© Cees Bassa

A comet, C2020 F3 NEOWISE, passed close to the Sun on July 3rd and has brightened to naked eye visibility since then. This is the brightest comet since Hale-Bopp appeared in 1997, and one of the few in which the dust tail is visible to the naked eye. Binoculars and photographs will also show the fainter blueish ion tail.

The comet is currently visible low in the North for most of the night, and it will become an evening object later in the month.