As Palau remains closed off from the rest of the world, it may be something of a comfort for residents to be able to see something happening far away—64 million miles away.
Last night, the comet which has been fascinating people across the globe within the past few months came as close as it will get to earth. Comet NEOWISE, named after the NASA telescope which first caught sight of it in March this year, has gained worldwide fame for being the brightest comet which can be seen by the naked eye in decades.
The comet is 3 miles across, bigger than Koror Island. It can be recognized by its tail of light, in the northwestern sky, below the Big Dipper.
NEOWISE, like all comets, is a collection of rock and ice. This particular comet has an orbit which will not take it this close to Earth again in over 6,000 years. It is extremely rare to be able to see a comet without telescopic equipment, although meteors or “shooting stars”, fragments which have broken off of comets or asteroids and entered Earth’s atmosphere, can be seen frequently in islands with little light pollution.
As its trajectory takes it farther away from the Earth, NEOWISE is due to get fainter and fainter. It can still best be seen about an hour after sunset. (By: Adam Somers)
Comet NEOWISE shines over Palau
