Adrian Campos captures the Neowise Comet with Thomas Mountain in view. Anza Valley Outlook/Courtesy photo
A once-in-a-lifetime comet presented a rare display in the early evening skies over the Anza Valley over the past few days. Named Comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE, the celestial traveler advanced upon the sun beginning July 3, crossing outside the Earth’s orbit on its way back to the outer reaches of our solar system by the middle of August.Neowise passed just inside Mercury’s orbit, July 3. As with all comets, close passage by the sun heats the comet’s outermost layers, causing gas and dust to erupt off the icy surface, creating a large trail of debris. This debris results in the customary tail that is visible in the night sky.The space object is a retrograde comet with a near-parabolic orbit. It was discovered March 27, by astronomers during the NEOWISE mission of the Wide-field Inf
