Neowise: A Rare Comet to be visible in the Indian Skies

A rare comet called the “Neowise” is to be visible in the Indian skies between July 14, 2020 and July 22, 2020. The comet will be visible for 20 minutes every day.

Highlights

The comet was discovered by Near Earth Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) in March 2020. The comet is to be visible in the north west sky.

Th Neowise comet is currently hurtling through space nearly 200 million kilometres away from the earth. The comet is 5 km wide and was formed 4.6 billion years ago.

About the Comet

The Comet takes 6,800 years to complete one revolution around the sun. The comet gains its light and heat energy from the sun. The debris of the comet forms a tail that stretches out to millions of kilometres. Every time a comet passes the sun, it loses some of its materials and will eventually disappear.

Neowise is not a short period comet. The short period comets are those that takes 200 years to orbit the sun. They are usually found in the Kupler belt.

Kupler Belt

Kupler Belt is a region in the solar system that extends beyond Neptune. It is similar to that of asteroid belt. The belt consists of smaller debris of solar system. However, the Kupler Belt is 20 times wider and 200 times heavier than that of asteroid belt.

Month: Current Affairs - July, 2020