Comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE, shown in this image captured by Dark Sky New Mexico Astronomer David Seung, was discovered earlier this year by NASA’s NEOWISE space telescope. The comet will be visible just below the Big Dipper right after sunset during late July.
It may be possible to see the comet unaided, but using binoculars or a telescope to spot the object will make it easier. “It is always better to observe comets with optical aid, especially a pair of binoculars and to seek dark rural skies, away from light polluted cities,” Michael Mattiazzo, an amateur astronomer credited with discovering eight comets (Newsweek, July 2020).
The comet—the brightest to appear since the Hale-Bopp in 1995-96 — will then head toward the outer solar system In late July and will make a long, elliptical orbit around the sun. It will be visible again in about 6,800 years.