Watch Ice Comet NEOWISE Pass By The International Space Station

Historically, today is a big deal. On July 20th, 1969 the Eagle lunar module landed on the moon and proved to the world that is we want to go into space and visit other chunks of rock, we could do it. So, that makes it pretty cool that on the anniversary of that historic event we all have the chance to see another historic event. Ice comet NEOWISE has been visible along the night horizon for about a week now and is climbing higher into the sky each night. Soon the comet will be gone, so get out to a dark place around sunset and watch towards the north and a little east, just below the Big Dipper, to see this beautiful comet. NEOWISE was caught on video by the International Space Station and you can see that encounter on YouTube.

Comet NEOWISE is a spectacular sight, even without assistance from a telescope, if you can get away from city light pollution. I live on the south side of Twin Falls, and each night since Saturday I've been able to see it - just not very well. The first night I remembered to look was Friday night and I had to get my kids to come look and verify that I wasn't just imagining the faint comet tail. The comet is still visible each night, but after the middle of this week you might not be able to see it as well anymore. Make sure you look for the comet by the 23rd about an hour after sunset each night. Sunset in the Magic Valley is about 9:10 pm, so a little after 10 is when you should start looking. I've been going out around 11 so that may be why I keep only getting a faint glimpse of it.