Explanation:┬аThis sight was worth getting out of bed early. Just over four years ago,┬аComet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE)┬аrose before dawn to the┬аdelight┬аof northern sky enthusiasts awake that early. Up before sunrise on July 8th, the featured photographer was able to capture in dramatic fashion one of the few comets┬аvisible┬аto the unaided eye this century, an inner-Solar System┬аintruder that has become known as the┬аGreat Comet┬аof 2020. The┬аresulting video┬аdetailed Comet NEOWISE from┬аItaly┬аrising over the┬аAdriatic Sea. The┬аfeatured time-lapse video┬аcombines over 240 images taken over 30 minutes.┬аThe comet┬аwas seen rising through a foreground of bright and undulating┬аnoctilucent clouds, and before a background of distant stars.┬аComet NEOWISE┬аremained unexpectedly bright for over a month, with its┬аion and dust┬аtails┬аfound to emanate┬аfrom a┬аnucleus┬аspanning about five kilometers across.
APOD’s main NASA site is┬аmoving:┬аFrom┬аapod.nasa.gov┬аto┬аscience.nasa.gov/apod
Tomorrow’s picture:┬аopen space
