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<ul class="summary-list"><li><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/comet-heading-earth-bright-outshine-stars-scientists-c-2023-a32023-3">Comet A3, or Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS</a>, is visible in the Northern Hemisphere this October.</li><li>The comet takes 80,000 years to orbit the sun, so Neanderthals were among the last people to see it.</li></ul><p>A rare comet is gleaming in our skies this October, it's your only chance to ever see it, and it might be <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/saw-northern-lights-surprising-photos-misleading-2024-5">visible to<strong> </strong>the naked eye</a>.</p><p>Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, or Comet A3, is a dusty ball of ice from the Oort Cloud that takes about 80,000 years to orbit the sun. That means some of the last people to see it were <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/last-neanderthal-thorin-unique-dna-help-explain-species-extinction-2024-9">Neanderthals</a>.</p><p>This is the best opportunity in years, and possibly in a decade, to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/green-comet-ztf-viewing-where-when-how-see-2023-1">see a bright comet in the sky</a>. Experts are hopeful that Comet A3 will be "highly memorable" and "a real crowd pleaser," according to Dan Bartlett, an astrophotographer who tracks comets.</p><p>But you <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tried-see-green-comet-fail-2023-2">need to be prepared</a>.</p><p>"It's just hard to make the time to be in the right place, to have the right experience," Teddy Kareta, a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/astronomer-animations-reveal-solar-system-physics-2021-10">planetary scientist</a> who specializes in comets at the Lowell Observatory, told Business Insider.</p><p>When Kareta has talked to people who have <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/devil-comet-visible-during-total-solar-eclipse-how-see-2024-4">seen a truly great comet</a>, though, "there's just nothing like it," he said.</p><p>Here's everything you should know to be in the right place at the right time and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-when-to-see-green-comet-mars-together-night-sky-2023-2">spot the comet</a>.</p><h2 id="11d1e1ae-eb70-4e43-aa3a-ab5cb2a93f24">How bright is Comet A3?</h2><p id="11d1e1ae-eb70-4e43-aa3a-ab5cb2a93f24">Nobody is certain about how bright this comet will be, but Kareta says it has the potential to be the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-see-green-comet-nishimura-2023-9">brightest comet</a> in a decade.</p><p id="11d1e1ae-eb70-4e43-aa3a-ab5cb2a93f24">The last big, bold comet was <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/comet-neowise-surprise-appearance-earth-unprepared-for-asteroids-2020-7">NEOWISE in 2020</a>. It was visible to the naked eye and produced stunning photos like this:</p><div type="image" title="comet neowise belarus" height="1911" width="3000" msid="113849897" hostid="261" sizebytes="285386"></div><p id="11d1e1ae-eb70-4e43-aa3a-ab5cb2a93f24">Astronomers are divided about whether Comet A3 will shine as <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/comet-neowise-passing-close-to-earth-dazzling-photos-videos-2020-7">bright as Comet NEOWISE</a>.</p><p id="11d1e1ae-eb70-4e43-aa3a-ab5cb2a93f24">In recent weeks, A3 has at times been brighter than predicted and at other times matched predictions, according to the BBC's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/space-science/beginners-guide-comet-c-2023-a3">Sky at Night Magazine</a> and Robert Massey, the deputy executive director of the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_mGtE7282Q&amp;ab_channel=RoyalAstronomicalSociety">Royal Astronomical Society</a>.</p><p id="11d1e1ae-eb70-4e43-aa3a-ab5cb2a93f24">From a dark-sky vantage point at Mono Lake, California — tucked into the Sierra Nevadas — Bartlett says he can see the comet with binoculars already.</p><p>But comets can change quickly, in a matter of hours. That's because their brightness depends on what type and amount of gas or dust they're emitting, and that can change on a dime.</p><p>For example, in 2007 Comet Holmes suddenly flared up and became 500,000 times brighter in just two days because a pocket of gas inside it had breached its surface, according to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.space.com/20347-comet-brightness-predictions-difficult.html">Space.com</a>.</p><p>"Sometimes people will say that <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/comet-everest-sky-how-to-see-it-12p-pons-brooks-2024-3">predicting comets</a> is kind of like playing the lottery," Kareta said.</p><h2 id="f9be457b-ee58-4abd-b650-c3903d50bfb8">When and where to see Comet A3</h2><p id="f9be457b-ee58-4abd-b650-c3903d50bfb8">Weather permitting,<strong> </strong>everyone in the Northern Hemisphere should be able to see Comet A3 in October.</p><p id="f9be457b-ee58-4abd-b650-c3903d50bfb8">There are two windows to catch it, one from now through October 2 and another from October 12 to 30, according to a press release from Massey.</p><p id="f9be457b-ee58-4abd-b650-c3903d50bfb8">During the first window, the comet appears above the eastern horizon during a 15-minute window that begins one hour before sunrise, according to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.space.com/comet-tsuchinshan-atlas-brightening-perihelion-how-to-see">Space.com</a>.</p><p id="f9be457b-ee58-4abd-b650-c3903d50bfb8">However, the best opportunity to see the comet, when it's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.astronomy.com/observing/comet-tsuchinshan-atlas-may-soon-become-bright/">closest to Earth</a>, is during the second window. After sunset, it will shine in the west, just to the left of the Big Dipper's handle, making for a more schedule-friendly viewing time.</p><h2 id="f584376a-e5c8-4cf2-9b77-2d6434dabfc3">Where to go and what to bring</h2><p>For the best viewing, you should drive far from the city and gaze into a very dark sky. Check Business Insider's list of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/darkest-skies-by-state-watch-space-events-stargazing">dark-sky spots in each state</a>.</p><div type="image" title="night sky with meteors shooting stars bright white streaks and one extra bright fireball above a rocky hillside of evergreen trees" height="681" width="1024" msid="113849895" hostid="261" sizebytes="82586"></div><p>If that's not an option, though, find a relatively dark spot outside the worst of the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-dark-skies-look-like-how-many-more-stars-than-cities-suburbs">city lights</a> — maybe on a hill or just outside the city — where you can face away from any major light sources to look toward Comet A3.</p><p>"Even if you live in an area with lots and lots of street lights, lots of smog, lots of smoke, lots of whatever, you still ought to go for it," Kareta said.</p><p>Check the weather before you go. If it will be cloudy all night, for example, you may want to plan for another evening. Bring warm layers and a chair or blanket to lay back on. Without support, you might be surprised how quickly your neck gets tired of craning back to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-see-exploding-star-nova-nasa-says-expect-soon-2024-3">look at the stars</a>.</p><p>If you have binoculars or a telescope, bring them. There's no guarantee of naked-eye visibility. In some cities, you can check out binoculars or a telescope from your local library.</p><p>Especially if you're a beginner, you may want to download a skywatching app like Sky Safari ($4.99 in the App Store) or pull up a website like Stellarium (free) on your phone. Once you're on the ground, that will help you pinpoint where the comet is in the sky.</p><h2 id="b4523206-0dfd-4a5e-acaf-d6a8ee9de2a4">How to look for the comet</h2><p id="b4523206-0dfd-4a5e-acaf-d6a8ee9de2a4">Finding a comet in the sky is harder than you might think. You'll need to know a few tips and techniques.</p><p id="b4523206-0dfd-4a5e-acaf-d6a8ee9de2a4">Once you reach your comet-watching spot, it can help to open your skywatching app to identify exactly where the comet is in the sky, near a constellation you recognize — like the Big Dipper.</p><p>Then give your eyes at least 30 minutes to adjust to the dark. Try not to look at your phone. Even a small burst of blue light is enough to reset your eyes.</p><p>If the comet doesn't immediately jump out to you, try scanning around the area. Your peripheral vision is more sensitive to faint objects, so you might spot it in the corner of your eye.</p><p><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/green-comet-ztf-what-look-like-see-photos-2023-1">You're looking for</a> a smudge, slightly bigger than a star. It won't twinkle like the stars do, and it will look a bit blurrier, with less defined borders. It might appear elongated because of the comet's tail, which is dust and gas flowing off its icy body.</p><p>"If you look at it and it looks like it's behaving differently than some of the stars nearby, that's a really good sign that you've picked up on the right thing," Kareta said.</p><p>If you're still not sure, try taking a long-exposure photo with your phone. This is built into most phone cameras' nighttime settings. (Hint: Turn your brightness down to protect your eyes.)</p><p>The long exposure will provide a clearer image of the comet than your eyes can.</p><p id="b4523206-0dfd-4a5e-acaf-d6a8ee9de2a4">If you can't find Comet A3 at all, Kareta recommends trying again a few days later.</p><p>"Go one night out, and then take a night off, and go back out. You'll know better how to time it, how to get ready," he said.</p><h2 id="4dc3ee16-f7a1-4a12-9138-5ef798a3a762">How to photograph the comet</h2><p id="b4523206-0dfd-4a5e-acaf-d6a8ee9de2a4">If your phone isn't picking up the comet, a DSLR camera might do the trick. Massey recommends taking a series of exposures.</p><p id="b4523206-0dfd-4a5e-acaf-d6a8ee9de2a4">You can also hold your phone camera up to the lens of your binoculars or telescope to take a picture through it. That method can be tricky, so it helps to practice a bit in advance.</p><p id="b4523206-0dfd-4a5e-acaf-d6a8ee9de2a4">After this, Comet A3 won't return for tens of thousands of years. "See it now or lose your chance," Kareta said.</p>

How to see Comet A3, which could be the best comet in a decade. Neanderthals walked the Earth last time it flew by.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>NASA <keyword id="73998" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="astronauts">astronauts</keyword> living aboard the <keyword id="6382020" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="international-space-station">International Space Station</keyword> recently witnessed <a href="https://neowise.ipac.caltech.edu/news/neowise20200708/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Comet Neowise</a> rising above the limb of Earth.</li><li>The astronauts photographed what they saw July 5 in a time-lapse series of photographs.</li><li>A UK graphic artist then downloaded all of the images, edited them into a real-time 4K movie, and released the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yh1_wHdUx3Y" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seven-minute video</a> on YouTube.</li><li><keyword id="9531572" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="comet-neowise">Comet Neowise</keyword> is on its way out of the solar system and won't return for about 6,800 years, but it will be highly visible about 80 minutes after sunset from Tuesday to Sunday.</li></ul><p>In the darkness of orbital night on July 5, a NASA astronaut floated up to a window on the International <keyword id="41531" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="space">Space</keyword> Station, gazed toward the limb of Earth, and patiently waited for a cosmic spectacle.</p><p>As the space station careened over the Middle East, the recently discovered <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/comet-streaking-past-earth-providing-spectacular-show-2020-7">Comet Neowise</a> and its twin glowing tails rose above the predawn horizon. Then — almost as quickly as the dust-and-gas-sputtering space rock appeared — it faded into the blinding glare of the sun.</p><p>"Right before the sun came up, that comet became visible during that short period of time when it was still close to the sun, but the sun was still hidden by the Earth," the NASA astronaut <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-astronauts-doug-hurley-bob-behnken-biography-spacex-demo2-2020-5">Bob Behnken</a>, who <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-launches-historic-rocket-mission-nasa-astronauts-demo-2-2020-5">recently launched</a> to the ISS aboard SpaceX's new Crew Dragon spaceship, told The New York Times' <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/08/podcasts/the-daily/coronavirus-data-united-states.html?showTranscript=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"The Daily" podcast</a> from orbit on July 7. "It was just an awesome sight to be able to see."</p><p>Fortunately for us all, we don't have to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-spacex-nasa-astronaut-mission-biggest-concern-reentry-danger-2020-5">risk our lives</a> rocketing to space to see such a scene, or even imagine it: Behnken and his colleagues recorded hundreds of photographs, which the UK-based graphic artist <a href="https://twitter.com/_TheSeaning/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Seán Doran</a> (who regularly processes space-agency imagery) downloaded from a <a href="https://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NASA image archive</a> and then edited into a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yh1_wHdUx3Y" target="_blank" rel="noopener">breathtaking time-lapse movie</a>.</p><p>"Grab a cold beverage, turn off the lights, get undressed, get comfortable and pop this on the big TV," Doran <a href="https://twitter.com/_TheSeaning/status/1281360453998972932" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a> Thursday with a short cut of the video, adding: "Consume whilst drinking."</p><p>Though Doran initially shared a version of the video sped up four times, he later uploaded an ultra-high-definition 4K video to his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC28l88GMXXqZYfY0Ru9h50w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">YouTube channel</a> that shows the sequence in real time.</p><p>The sequence consists of 550 long-exposure photos taken over seven minutes, Doran told Business Insider in an email. Normally, that'd provide just 18 seconds of video, so he interpolated the pictures to fill in frames, smooth out the sequence, and create a seamless playback experience.</p><p>This result gives viewers of the film (below) a sense of what it's like to be aboard the space station while flying 250 miles above Earth at a speed of 17,500 mph and see a comet rise.</p><h2>Look now: Comet Neowise won't be back for millennia</h2><p>Scientists operating a NASA telescope called the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, discovered the comet March 27. Formally known as C/2020 F3, the comet is named Comet Neowise after the telescope's new mission to find <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/asteroid-detection-mission-neocam-nasa-funding-astronaut-support-2018-11">potentially threatening near-Earth objects</a>, or NEOs.</p><p>On July 3, Comet Neowise swung by the sun about 10 million miles closer than Mercury's orbit. Along the way, the 3-mile (5 kilometer) ice ball heated up enough to spray out two tails, one made of gas and the other dust, that stretch millions of miles into space.</p><p>The comet is expected to make its closest approach to Earth on July 23, when it's about 64 million miles away, according to <a href="https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons.cgi?CGISESSID=96428ae5803dd7a284fe19c554ebd07a#results" target="_blank" rel="noopener">calculations by NASA JPL</a>. Astronomers expect it to be visible to the naked eye on a dark night through early August.</p><p><div type="image" title="comet neowise horizon bird power lines GettyImages 1226598506" height="1709" width="2279" msid="76954319" hostid="261"></div></p><p>But Comet Neowise isn't sticking around, nor will it make a return in our lifetimes: The object is zooming toward the outer fringes of our solar system, and it won't return to the inner solar system for about 6,768 years.</p><p>To see the comet yourself, wake up before dawn and look toward the sky close to the horizon. From this Tuesday to Sunday, though, <a href="https://www.space.com/comet-neowise-visibility-july-2020.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Space.com reports</a>, the comet will have its best "prime time" viewing hours in the evening about 80 minutes after sunset.</p><p>On Monday, several amateur astronomers <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=3085078141529497&amp;id=2020963364943734373" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> the comet as <a href="https://twitter.com/baschattanooga/status/1282691465798463489" target="_blank" rel="noopener">possibly</a> fragmenting, or breaking up, which is not unusual for a rock that's held together by frozen gasses, dust, and grit. Researchers contacted by Business Insider debunked that idea, however, saying telescope mount or photography mistakes led to what looks like (but is not) a fragmenting comet.</p><p>"I have seen a picture taken a few hours ago ... and the comet looks healthy," <a href="https://yeqzids.github.io/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Quanzhi Ye</a>, an astronomer at the University of Maryland, told Business Insider in an email Monday. "So no, no clear evidence that the comet is fragmenting, as far as I know."</p><p><em>This story has been updated with new information.</em></p>

A jaw-dropping 4K video shows Comet Neowise rising above planet Earth from the view of an astronaut in space

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="7612156" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="starlink">Starlink</keyword> <keyword id="41530" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="satellites">satellites</keyword> photobombed <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/comet-neowise-passing-close-to-earth-dazzling-photos-videos-2020-7">Comet Neowise</a> in a striking photo. The juxtaposition highlights astronomers' concerns about <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-spacex-starlink-zero-impact-astronomy-2020-3">Elon Musk</a>'s internet project.</li><li>The photo is a composite of 17 images taken over 30 seconds, so it doesn't show what you would see with the naked eye.</li><li>Still, plenty of <keyword id="6391802" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="astronomy">astronomy</keyword> research relies on long-exposure images, and Starlink's streaks of light could <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-asks-for-meeting-with-eso-over-starlink-satellites-2020-3">ruin scientists' work</a>.</li></ul><p><keyword id="6355315" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="elon-musk">Elon Musk</keyword>'s growing constellation of internet satellites has been sending streaks of bright light across night skies around the world. Even the biggest comet to pass Earth in 25 years wasn't spared. </p><p>A striking photo showing <keyword id="9531572" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="comet-neowise">Comet Neowise</keyword> behind those streaks of light shows how easily the satellites can upstage observations of distant objects in space.</p><p><div type="image" title="comet neowise starlink" height="2099" width="1757" msid="77247970" hostid="261"></div></p><p>The satellite project, called Starlink, is Musk's plan to blanket Earth in high-speed satellite internet. The effort has drawn criticism from professional and amateur astronomers, however, because the bright satellites can mar the skies and disrupt telescope observations.</p><p>That's what happened to the astrophotographer <a href="http://www.elcielodecanarias.com/">Daniel López</a> on July 21, when he was shooting Comet Neowise before it flies out of view for another 6,800 years. He <a href="https://www.facebook.com/elcielodecanarias.es/photos/a.224658390885198/4415045628513099">shared</a> the resulting image on the Facebook page of his photography company, El Cielo de Canarias, saying it was a shame to see the satellites make such a spectacle.</p><p>López's photo is a composite of 17 images taken in the span of 30 seconds. Each image was long exposure, meaning it captured the comet over several seconds.</p><p>The astronomer Julien Girard shared the picture on <a href="https://twitter.com/djulik/status/1286053695956881409">Twitter</a>, saying the satellites had "completely photobombed" the comet.</p><p>"Two of my pictures the other night were also bombed by a Starlink," Girard said.</p><p>López also shared the time-lapse video behind the picture. He added that traces of the satellites were visible in 20 of his images.</p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/elcielodecanarias.es/posts/4424824440868551">Post</a> by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/">El Cielo de Canarias</a>.<p>Because it's a composite time-lapse photo, the image doesn't show what you would see with the naked eye. But it illustrates why many astronomers worry about the threat that <keyword id="518734" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="satellite-constellations">satellite constellations</keyword> like Starlink pose to ground-based astronomy.</p><h2>Too many satellites could mess with astronomy on Earth</h2><p>Long-exposure images are a crucial part of studying distant objects in the night sky. Telescopes on Earth watch celestial targets for hours, slowly building up a detailed image that offers astronomers rich data.</p><p>But one poorly timed Starlink satellite can ruin that kind of research by creating a long streak across the image and blocking the objects that astronomers want to study.</p><p><div type="image" title="starlink train" height="1013" width="1351" msid="77247974" hostid="261"></div></p><p>"In that couple of seconds, a whole 10- or 15-minute exposure is ruined," the astronomer Jonathan McDowell told Business Insider in June.</p><p><keyword id="6360701" type="DEFINITION" weightage="60" keywordseo="spacex">SpaceX</keyword> is sharing Starlink's orbital-path data with astronomers so that they can plan their telescope observations around the satellites' movements. Briefly shutting off the camera as the satellite passes overhead can save a long-exposure image.</p><p>But Musk's ambitions could make it nearly impossible to avoid the fast-moving satellites. SpaceX has sought government permission to put <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starlink-internet-satellites-itc-filing-30000-additional-42000-total-2019-10">a total of 42,000 satellites into orbit</a> to form a "megaconstellation" around Earth. </p><p>"If they're coming over all the time, then knowing when they're coming over isn't helpful," McDowell said. Even now, he added, sometimes astronomers can't avoid the photobombers.</p><p><div type="image" title="starlink satellites flat packed stack payload falcon 9 rocket spacex twitter D7THAABVUAATipL" height="675" width="900" msid="77247977" hostid="261"></div></p><p>SpaceX isn't the only company building a massive fleet of satellites. Companies like OneWeb and Amazon have similar ambitions.</p><p>"The sky will not be what it has been for millions of years. Thousands of dots will appear and disappear in the night sky," López told <a href="https://earther.gizmodo.com/spacex-satellites-ruin-perfectly-good-view-of-comet-neo-1844483615?fbclid=IwAR1Io31r8rgt4LJumHuiNb7dID2aFEubFURyETfzjgwiUWiOHnCcYy5C9o0">Gizmodo</a>. "I personally think that if no action is taken, it will be the end of astronomy as we know it from the surface of the Earth."</p><p>Professional astronomers have given similarly dire warnings. </p><p>"The night sky is for everybody. It has been scrutinized and used for millennia," Girard <a href="https://twitter.com/djulik/status/1286695694141726721">said</a>. "We should cherish it and protect it just like our Earth."</p>

Elon Musk's Starlink satellites photobombed Comet Neowise in a photographer's striking image

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="158876" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="comet">Comet</keyword> Neowise only appears every 6,800 years.</li><li>It has been visible in the Northern Hemisphere from July 15 to July 23.</li><li>John Nicotera and Erica Pendrak got <keyword id="40467" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="engaged">engaged</keyword> during the <keyword id="54934" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="cosmic">cosmic</keyword> event, and their friend Tim Leach captured the <keyword id="6374727" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="proposal">proposal</keyword> in a photograph.</li><li>"He froze the greatest moment of my life so far," Nicotera told Insider. </li></ul><p>A proposal is a memorable event for anyone. But for one couple, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.</p><p>John Nicotera and Erica Pendrak got engaged under <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/comet-neowise-passing-close-to-earth-dazzling-photos-videos-2020-7">Comet Neowise</a>, an extremely rare cosmic event. </p><h2>Nicotera and Pendrak have been together for two years</h2><p>Both Pendrak, 33, and Nicotera, 26, are teachers, with Pendrak teaching first grade and Nicotera teaching physical education. </p><p>The couple connected via Instagram, and they've been together ever since.</p><p>Nicotera told Insider he started thinking about proposing around Christmas 2019, but the time the two spent together in quarantine during the pandemic made him think more seriously about popping the question.</p><p><div type="image" title="erica and john" height="922" width="1229" msid="77137351" hostid="261"></div></p><p>"We've lived together for over a year and a half," Nicotera said. "But just being stuck at home every hour can take a toll on a person, and we had not a single issue."</p><p>"I feel like the honeymoon phase of the relationship might've faded away and that was a big test," he added. "We both figured out how to deal with each other's problems, you know?"</p><p>Pendrak added that they just complement each other. "I <keyword id="7557" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Love">love</keyword> that I'm able to share genuine, serious, loving moments with John just as much as I can share silly moments," she said. </p><p>Nicotera originally planned to propose at Crater Lake in Oregon, but traveling wasn't possible, leaving him unsure of how to proceed.</p><h2>Proposal inspiration struck when Nicotera heard about Comet Neowise</h2><p>Nicotera describes himself as a space junkie, and he follows what's happening with SpaceX and NASA very closely. </p><p>He recently learned of the rare comet, called Neowise, which only appears every 6,800 years, <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/how-to-see-comet-neowise">according to NASA</a>. The comet was visible in the Northern Hemisphere from July 15 through July 23.</p><p>The comet seemed like the perfect occasion to propose. Nicotera made plans for himself and Pendrak to go to his family's camp in Old Forge, New York, so they could watch the celestial event and he could pop the question.</p><p>Fate seemed to step in when Nicotera's good friend <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tleach18/">Tim Leach</a>, a photographer, reached out to see if the couple would want to take photos under the comet.</p><p>Leach had been taking photos of the comet for days, so he knew how to capture striking images. It required a long exposure, forcing anyone posing to stand still for several seconds after each picture was taken to ensure the comet was visible in the sky. </p><p>On July 18, Nicotera and Pendrak met up with Leach and his girlfriend to watch the comet, when the two men would work together to pull off the proposal. </p><h2>They posed for a few photos together before Nicotera popped the question, so Pendrak didn't suspect anything</h2><p>After he and Pendrak had posed for a couple of pictures, Nicotera told Leach he was going to propose. He said he was nervous ahead of the moment.</p><p>But all of his nerves melted away as he looked at Pendrak before he got down on one knee.</p><p>Because they had to stay still under the exposure to capture the photos, Nicotera and Pendrak had a lot of meaningful eye contact during the comet.</p><p>"I just remember the amount of happiness I had going through me," he said. "All the nerves were gone at that point. I was just like, 'I'm massively in love with this girl. I'm going to do it.'"</p><p><div type="image" title="comet proposal" height="1503" width="1369" msid="77137353" hostid="261"></div></p><p>Pendrak said she immediately started crying when Nicotera popped the question, as the proposal was a total surprise to her. She and Nicotera had discussed their future together, but she didn't realize he had concrete plans to propose.</p><p>The couple told Insider they had to wait to hug for several seconds after he proposed because of the long exposure, which was difficult. </p><p>But they celebrated together once they could move, and Leach took more photos to ensure they would have proof of the moment forever.</p><h2>The couple said they're grateful Leach was able to document the proposal</h2><p>"I'm just really happy Tim was able to be there and capture that moment for us," Nicotera said.</p><p>"He froze the greatest moment of my life so far," he added. "It's not just a memory. I can relive it as long as that photo lasts, and we are always going to have that."</p><p><div type="image" title="comet proposal" height="1027" width="1369" msid="77137355" hostid="261"></div></p><p>The proposal also ended up going viral online, as Nicotera <a href="https://twitter.com/YohnnyNic/status/1284977562372931585">tweeted about the experience</a> and tagged astronaut Garrett Reisman, who later retweeted the image and told the couple congratulations. </p><p>Nicotera is a big fan of Reisman, and he often listens to him on podcasts. The recognition was like the cherry on top of their proposal experience.</p><p>"Our story is being spread around the country and the world," Pendrak said. "That's kind of awesome to see and to have some good news."</p><p>The couple hasn't set a wedding date yet, but they're hoping to get married sometime next summer.</p><p>You can follow Leach on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tleach18/">Instagram</a> and Nicotera on <a href="https://twitter.com/YohnnyNic">Twitter</a>.</p><ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/couple-got-engaged-during-a-black-lives-matter-protest-2020-6">A man surprised his girlfriend by proposing at a Black Lives Matter protest: 'Black lives matter, and Black love matters'</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/cornfield-proposal-in-germany-captured-on-google-maps-2020-2">A German farmer's elaborate marriage proposal was captured on Google Maps</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/man-proposed-by-editing-himself-into-sleeping-beauty-video-2020-1">A man proposed to his girlfriend during a screening of 'Sleeping Beauty' by editing himself into her favorite Disney movie</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/couple-engaged-on-southwest-plane-after-they-met-on-airline-2019-11">A man proposed to his girlfriend on a plane a year after they met in the air</a></li></ul>

A couple got engaged under a rare comet that is only visible every 6,800 years

<p>The moon is the largest object floating through space around Earth, but it's not the only one. Actually, there are numerous rocky objects living in our inner solar system that occasionally pass by Earth.</p><p>Duncan Forgan, a research fellow at the University of St. Andrews, recently wrote about one such object called 3753 Cruithne (pronounced krooy-nyuh) on <a href="http://theconversation.com/earths-other-moon-and-its-crazy-orbit-could-reveal-mysteries-of-the-solar-system-38010">The Conversation</a>, where he's calling it "second moon."</p><p>Here's the best picture we have of this tiny, rocky "moon" that's only about 3 miles across. Because of its small size, astronomers need powerful instruments to see Cruithne. The telescope at <a href="http://www.askc.org/powell.htm">Powell Observatory</a> took the image below, where it only shows up as a tiny speck of light.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table full"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>The space-based instrument <a href="http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/programs/neowise.html">NEOWISE</a> took five images of Cruithne that are compiled into a single image below. NEOWISE scours the sky for near-earth objects like asteroid and comets.<p>The reason the object appears red in this image is because it is radiating light at lower energies than the white stars in the background, <a href="https://science.jpl.nasa.gov/people/Bauer/">James Bauer</a>, a scientist who studies comets at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, explained to Business Insider in an email.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table full"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p>Cruithne is a type of object called an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aten_asteroid">Aten asteroid</a>, which is a group of asteroids that live within the inner solar system between Earth and the sun. It has a weird path through space where it orbits both the sun and the Earth in a strange kidney-shaped path.</p><p>Aten asteroids are relatively small, which is why astronomers only recently discovered them. The first Aten asteroid was found in 1976 and Cruithne was not discovered until 1994.</p><h2>How to see it</h2><p><a href="http://www.astro.uwo.ca/~wiegert/">Paul Wiegert</a>, who studies Cruithne at the University of Western Ontario, told Business Insider in an email that "it's very hard to see [Cruithne] in even a very large telescope except as a small star like dot."</p><p>But it is possible.</p><p>Below is an image of where the object will be in the sky tomorrow [Wednesday] morning during sunrise. Wiegert pin points the exact location and says: "You'd have to look towards the sunrise. The asteroid is at the center of the red cross, and not far from the planet Mercury, in the constellation of Capricorn."</p><p>You'll need access to a pretty powerful telescope, though. "It is so faint that there is no way to find it by eye," Wiegert said. "Or even with a modest telescope."</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table full"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/end-fall-demise-mayan-civilization-new-evidence-2015-1">Scientists Discovered What Actually Wiped Out The Mayan Civilization</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="55ampxcjoS7Wta3JMLFeUrzwVtgPrh0g" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

You Searched For "comet neowise pictures" and got 5 results

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A couple got engaged under a rare comet that is only visible every 6,800 years

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