Comet NEOWISE (aka C/2020 F3) was discovered on March 27 by astronomers during the NEOWISE mission, which used NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) space telescope to look for near. Visualization of Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) Orbit This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The comet’s full name is C 2020 f3 NEOWISE. NEOWISE refers to the spacecraft that discovered it, f3 indicates that it is the third comet found in the second half of March so each month is split into two letters January is A and B, February is C and D and March is E and F.
What is WISE/NEOWISE?
NASA's WISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) spacecraft was an infrared-wavelength astronomical space telescope active from December 2009 to February 2011. In September 2013 the spacecraft was assigned a new mission as NEOWISE to help find near-Earth asteroids and comets.
- NEOWISE hunts near-Earth objects from low-Earth orbit.
- The spacecraft orbits Earth once every 95 minutes – 15 times per day.
| Nation | United States of America (USA) |
| Objective(s) | Low-Earth Orbit |
| Spacecraft | WISE/NEOWISE |
| Spacecraft Mass | 1,457 pounds (661 kilograms) |
| Mission Design and Management | NASA / JPL |
| Launch Vehicle | Delta 2 |
| Launch Date and Time | Dec. 14, 2009 | 14:09 UT |
| Launch Site | Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. (USA) |
| Scientific Instruments | Cryogenic Telescope with Four Megapixel Infrared Cameras |
Key Dates
Cara instal driver scanner canon mp237. Dec. 14, 2009: Launch
Jan. 2010 to Feb. 2011:Primary mission
February 2011: Spacecraft placed in hibernation
Sept. 2013-Present: NEOWISE operations ongoing
In Depth: WISE/NEOWISE
NASA's WISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) spacecraft was successfully launched to near-Earth orbit December 14, 2009, to serve as an infrared-wavelength astronomical space telescope.
WISE surveyed the full sky in four infrared wavelength bands (3.4, 4.6, 12 and 22 μm) until the frozen hydrogen cooling the telescope was depleted in September 2010.
The spacecraft was placed into hibernation in February 2011 after completing its search of the inner solar system.
In late 2013, the spacecraft was reactivated and assigned a new mission as NEOWISE to help NASA identify and characterize the population of near-Earth objects (NEOs). NEOs are comets and asteroids that have been nudged into orbits that allow them to enter Earth's neighborhood.
Observations resumed in December 2013 and just six days later NEOWISE discovered its first potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroid: 2013 YP139.
Potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs) are asteroids that could one day threaten Earth. Near-Earth objects are classified as PHAs based on their size and how closely they can approach Earth's orbit.
As of mid-July 2019, NEOWISE was 24% of the way through its 12th coverage of the sky since reactivation. Over 830,000 infrared measurements have been made of 34,644 different solar system objects, including 1024 NEOs and 172 comets.
The Principal Investigator for NEOWISE is Amy Mainzer of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California.
Neowise Comet Orbit Map
JPL manages and operates the NEOWISE mission for NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office within the Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
How To See Comet Neowise
Key Resources