Comet Approaching Earth This Weekend

Comet C/2020 M3 will be closest to Earth this Saturday, although it won't be visible with the naked eye, you might be able to catch it with a telescope or binoculars. Plus, there's a new moon this weekend, so moonlight won't be a problem if you're out looking for this space visitor. (This comet isn't nearly as bright as NEOWISE was in late-July / early-August)

Looks towards Orion's Belt and it will appear as a fuzzy object and will look different than a regular star. (Sky Chart of Orion HERE) The light emitted from C/2020 M3 takes nearly three minutes to reach Earth.

Comet C/2020 will pass by Earth at around 33.3 million miles -- in between Mars and Earth. (Around 140x farther than we are from the moon) Scientists didn't even know this comet existed until it discovered it in late-June.

If you do happen to see it this weekend, it will be the only time you ever will. This comet will not return anywhere near Earth until year 2159 as it zooms through space at over 32,000 miles per hour.

A chart of its orbit can be seen HERE.