Researchers working with NASA’s NEOWISE spacecraft have analysed infra-red emissions of the comet’s core, taken from the spacecraft, and by combining this with visible-light images has revealed that the nucleus is about five kilometres (three miles) across and covered with sooty, dark particles left over from its formation near the time of the origins of our Solar System some 4.6 billion years ago.
The comet has sprung somewhat of another surprise in that it has a very large nucleus. Presently shining around magnitude +1 to +2, reports have it as a reasonably easy object to spot with the naked eye in a haze-free pre-dawn sky. Its main dust tail extends to around six degrees in length as seen in the best images and its also sprouted a fainter, bluish ion tail. The flood of images taken post-perihelion show a healthy-looking comet punching through the strong twilit sky and sporting a marvellous fan-shaped tail. By the start of next week it becomes better placed in the evening sky, while remaining visible in the pre-dawn sky. It was discovered by NASA’s Near Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) spacecraft on March 27. He used a 200mm ASA Astrograph, at f/2.9, and a ASI ZWO 6200 camera for this LRGB image (five seconds for each RGB and three, five-sec exposure for luminance).Ĭomet 2020 F3 (NEOWISE) is putting on a fine showing in the pre-dawn northern sky after emerging intact from perihelion (closest point to the Sun), which occurred on 3 July when the comet passed 0.29 astronomical unit, or 43 million kilometres from the Sun. Gerald Rhemann shot this striking image of the comet on the morning of 6 July at 01:12 UT from Jauerling, Lower Austria. Comet 2020 F3 (NEOWISE) is looking great in the pre-dawn sky at the moment, shining at around magnitude +1 and sporting nice tail of around a degree in length.
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