Comet Neowise: How, When To See It In Georgia

ATLANTA, GA — The recently discovered comet Neowise, the brightest to appear in a quarter-century, will be visible in the skies above Georgia for the next couple of weeks.

Catch it now, because it's not due to return for 6,800 years.

The comet, the brightest to visit Earth since Hale-Bopp in 1997, had been appearing in the east-northeast sky about an hour before sunrise for the past month. It's now gone prime-time, appearing in the northwestern sky about an hour after sunset each evening.

The next few nights should be among the best for seeing Neowise, according to Space.com. Though you'll be able to see it without a small telescope or binoculars, those instruments offer better views.

Of course, much depends on the weather. Although thunderstorms are predicted for Saturday night in the Atlanta metro, the National Weather Service forecast calls for partly cloudy skies on Sunday night, followed by thunderstorms Monday and Tuesday nights.

Sky & Telescope says Comet Neowise will appear just as the last of twilight fades into darkness. The Big Dipper hangs by its handle at this time, so look about three fists below the "bowl."

The comet will begin to fade after July 19 as it comes closer to our planet. Its closest approach to Earth occurs on July 22, after which it will fade more rapidly and eventually disappear from the solar system.

The comet appears to rise tail first, followed by its bright head or coma, which Space.com said shines "as bright as a first-magnitude star" — a designation reserved for the brightest of stars. For comparison purposes, Polaris, the North Star, is a second-magnitude star.

Discovered only in March of this year, Neowise hasn't made an appearance in our solar system for 6,800 years.

NASA says the comet is an inner-solar system "intruder" that could become known as the Great Comet of 2020. It's large by comet standards, measuring about 3 miles across.