The Comet SWAN, first spotted from the ground by an amateur astronomer a year ago and now faintly visible without a telescope, will come closest to Earth en route to the sun on Wednesday, NASA said in a press release
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th May, 2020) The Comet SWAN, first spotted from the ground by an amateur astronomer a year ago and now faintly visible without a telescope, will come closest to Earth en route to the sun on Wednesday, NASA said in a press release.
"Comet SWAN makes its closest approach to Earth on May 13, at a distance of about 53 million miles. Comet SWAN's closest approach to the Sun, called perihelion, will happen on May 27. Though it can be very difficult to predict the behavior of comets that make such close approaches to the Sun, scientists are hopeful that Comet SWAN will remain bright enough to be seen as it continues its journey," the release said.
The comet was discovered by the orbiting Heliospheric Observatory - jointly operated by the NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) - and was first spotted from the ground by an amateur astronomer in May 2020, the release said.
The comet is faintly visible to the unaided eye in the southern hemisphere just before sunrise. However, viewing chances are expected to improve in late May and early June, providing sky-watchers with a relatively rare glimpse of a comet bright enough to be seen without a telescope, according to the release.
