PHOTOS: Comet NEOWISE Rises Over Maine Mountain
MOUNT KATAHDIN, Maine (CBS) -- Comet NEOWISE is putting on a spectacular show in the night skies, and on Monday morning it made for a dazzling sight above New England.
Photographer Jamie Walter took advantage of some clear skies to capture NEOWISE rising over Katahdin, the tallest mountain in Maine.
NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) rising over Mt. Katahdin this morning // Glad we finally got a window of clear skies to check it out!@visitmaine #Maine #mainething #maineisawesome #NEOWISE #Comet #Katahdin pic.twitter.com/N19cHQIUMj
— Jamie Walter (@jwalter1337) July 13, 2020
As meteorologist and WBZ-TV executive weather producer Terry Eliasen wrote last week, NEOWISE has emerged from its trip around the sun "looking brighter than anyone expected." He says the comet should be visible to the naked eye for the next several weeks, a rare occurrence the likes of which haven't been seen since Hale-Bopp in 1997.
The comet will slowly rise higher and higher as it nears its closest pass by Earth on July 22nd (about 64 million miles). A stargazer's best chance to see NEOWISE will be on a clear night away from any light pollution, and looking north though binoculars or a telescope will certainly help.
The Mount Washington Observatory also got a good look at NEOWISE late last week.
#CometNEOWISE next to our instrument tower with the #BigDipper over the northern summits of the Presidential Range. Taken during astronomical dawn on Fri, July 10th.
— Mount Washington Observatory (MWO) (@MWObs) July 11, 2020
Our largest annual fundraiser, Seek the Peak, is less than a week away. Learn more at https://t.co/5e41ijpbiE pic.twitter.com/ckWH4FA0mq
NEOWISE was discovered back in March. It measures about 3 miles across and its made up of material dating back to the beginning of our solar system, 4.6 billion years ago, according to scientists.
Don't miss your chance to see it - it will be about 7,000 years before anyone on Earth will see NEOWISE reappear.