1st comet of 21st century to be visible in sky till month-end
BHUBANESWAR: Residents of the city can have a glimpse of a once-in-a-time celestial phenomena of viewing a comet with naked eyes with scientists here confirming its sight in the skies till July 30.
The NEOWISE (Near Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) space telescope of NASA discovered the rare comet, a distant and inconspicuous object first in March this year, which was then around 312 million kilometres from the Sun.
Scientists said a better viewing angle of the comet will be available in the evening sky when it will appear low in the northwest sky about 20 degrees from the horizon for around 20 minutes in the evening. “The comet will rapidly climb higher in the sky and will be visible for a longer period. Around July 30, it can be seen near Ursha Major, Saptarshi Mandal and will be visible for as long as an hour,” Subhendu Pattnaik, deputy director of Pathani Samanta Planetarium said.
He added that after July-end, the comet will fade away fast and will not be visible to the unaided eye. “People can watch the comet in the northwest sky with naked eyeS. A pair of binoculars or a small telescope can enhance its visibility,” Pattnaik said.
Pattnaik further said it will be the first comet of the 21st century to be visible after ‘Hale Bupp’, which was the last comet to be clearly visible to the naked eye in 1997. “It is after 23 years that we are getting a chance to see a comet with naked eye in this century,” he said.
It must be noted here that comets are cosmic snowballs of frozen gases, rock and dust that orbit the Sun in a highly elliptical path. When they are frozen, they come to a size of a few hundred kilometres, almost the size of a small town.
“When a comet’s orbit brings it close to the Sun, it heats up and melts and releases dust and gases into a giant glowing head larger than most planets. The dust and gases form a tail that stretches away from the Sun for millions of kilometres in the opposite direction,” he explained.
“Comet NEOWISE, as it is called, has survived its closest approach to the Sun and raised hopes that it will become a tantalizing object for sky-gazers after two medium-sized comets passed near the sun early this year,” the planetarium officials said.
People, however, are hopeful of a clear sky to watch the phenomena. “The celestial activities are a treat to watch. I hope that the overcast situation improves and we will be able to see the comet with naked eyes,” Gitanjali Rout, a science lover said.