Comet Neowise photographed from the dike along the Fraser River in Chilliwack at 2:45 a.m. on July 11, 2020. (Ben Stewart photo)

Comet Neowise photographed from the dike along the Fraser River in Chilliwack at 2:45 a.m. on July 11, 2020. (Ben Stewart photo)

PHOTO: Chilliwack photographer captures incredible image of Comet Neowise

Comet that's visible to the naked eye will be easiest to see on July 23

  • Jul. 15, 2020 12:00 a.m.

Chilliwack resident Ben Stewart captured a remarkable image of the now famous Neowise comet from a dike along the Fraser River last week.

Stewart said it was at 2:45 a.m. on July 11 when he took the photo of the comet with his camera pointed north towards Harrison Hot Springs.

The comet, which is formally known as C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE), was discovered this year on March 27 by the NEOWISE Space Telescope.

Photos of the comet, which is visible to the naked eye, have been shared from all over the world.

• READ MORE: Once-in-a-lifetime comet photographed soaring over Abbotsford

Comet Neowise is a retrograde comet, meaning it orbits around the solar system in the opposite direction of the rotational axis of the Sun and planets.

NASA says the comet is about five kilometres across, and its tail is caused by its very close orbit around the Sun, heating its outer-ice layers and releasing gas and dust in a tail of debris.

Neowise is expected to remain visible throughout July, and orbit closest to Earth on July 23 at a distance of 103 million kilometres away, according to NASA.


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