16 Breathtaking Photos of Comet NEOWISE From Around the World (And Space)

NASA said if you don't catch NEOWISE this time, you'll have to wait another 6,800 years.

Comet NEOWISE seen by Twitter user @hiitsatom in southern Germany on July 19. @hiitsatom/Twitter

For the past few weeks, a rare, bright comet called NEOWISE (named after the NASA telescope which discovered it) has been flying closer to Earth and seen by astronomers around the world. And it’s getting better. Since first spotted by a telescope in June, Comet NEOWISE has brightened over 100-fold, making it the shiniest celestial object to appear near Earth’s atmosphere since Comet Hale-Bopp flew by in 1997.

Sign Up For Our Daily Newsletter

By clicking submit, you agree to our <a rel="nofollow noreferer" href="http://observermedia.com/terms">terms of service</a> and acknowledge we may use your information to send you emails, product samples, and promotions on this website and other properties. You can opt out anytime.

See all of our newsletters

On Wednesday, July 22, Comet NEOWISE will make its closest approach to Earth. After that, it will fade more rapidly and eventually disappear in the sky. NASA said if you don’t catch it this time, you’ll have to wait 6,800 years for it to come by Earth again.

If you get a chance to look up at the comet with a telescope, you might notice two tails—a broad, fuzzy tail made of dust and a thinner upper tail made of ionized gas.

“Parker Solar Probe’s images appear to show a divide in the ion tail. This could mean that Comet NEOWISE has two ion tails, in addition to its dust tail, though scientists would need more data and analysis to confirm this possibility,” NASA officials wrote in a description of a photo last week.

Below we’ve compiled some of the best pictures of Comet NEOWISE snapped by amateur stargazers, professional photographers and even SpaceX in recent days.

NEOWISE seen near a SpaceX launch site in Texas on July 20

Long Island, New York on July 19

Northern Arizona on July 18

Florida on July 20

Canada

The U.K.

The Netherlands

Germany

Comet NEOWISE seen by Twitter user @sarahwhvr in southern Germany on July 14. @sarahwhvr/Twitter
Comet NEOWISE seen by Twitter user @hiitsatom in southern Germany on July 19. @hiitsatom/Twitter

Switzerland 

View this post on Instagram

Neowise, ja ich hatte bereits ein paar Mal von ihm gehört, konnte mir aber nicht wirklich vorstellen wie er aussah, geschweige denn, wie es sich anfühlt ihm zu „begegnen“. Gestern Nacht war es dann soweit. Ich blickte in den Himmel und da war er, der Komet Neowise. Mit dem Fernglas war dieser strahlende Komet richtig klar und gross zu sehen. Es war unglaublich beeindruckend! Ich stand verträumt da, tauchte in eine Art kosmische Märchenwelt ein und es fühlte sich an, als würde die Realität für einen kurzen Moment verschwinden. Einfach traumhaft schön 💫 Hattet ihr auch schon das Glück, den Kometen bestaunen zu dürfen? #neowise #komet #pilatus #luzern #lucerne #nightsky #obwalden #printolino #naturfotografie_deutschland #myswitzerland #myswiss #blickheimat #naturephotography #nikon #swiss #schweiz #switzerland

A post shared by fotowiesel andrea (@fotowiesel) on

Russia

16 Breathtaking Photos of Comet NEOWISE From Around the World (And Space)