NEOWISE

The brightest comet to grace northern-hemisphere skies since Hale-Bopp.

Orbits Sun

About NEOWISE

C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) — discovered by NASA’s NEOWISE space telescope on 27 March 2020 — became the brightest comet visible from the Northern Hemisphere since Hale-Bopp in 1997. It was visible to the naked eye throughout July 2020.

Live · 3DSee NEOWISE in the Live 3D Solar SystemFly to NEOWISE and explore its orbit among the planets, moons & spacecraft in a full-screen interactive view.Launch 3D view

Physical Properties

Mean radius3 km

Orbit

OrbitsSun

Semi-major axis358 AU

Eccentricity0.99918

Inclination128.94°

Perihelion0.295 AU

Orbital period6767 yr

Gallery

Hand-picked mission imagery of NEOWISE sourced from NASA and partner archives. Click any photo for full resolution and source attribution.

Comet NEOWISE before sunrise over Washington, D.C., July 12, 2020. NASA/Bill Ingalls · Public Domain u2014 NASA Media Usage Guidelines

Imagery on this page is provided by the original mission teams. Full attribution terms: Image Rights & Credits.

Sources & Further Reading

Numerical values (radius, mass, orbital elements, temperatures) are drawn from NASA NSSDC Planetary Fact Sheets, JPL Horizons, and the JPL Small-Body Database. Last refreshed: 2026-06-08 01:37:02.