Comet McNaught put on a surprise show this summer: Here's how to spot it before it fades

Comet 220P/McNaught has already put on an unexpectedly impressive show this summer as two dramatic outbursts of activity caused it to shine 20,000 times brighter than usual.

Here's how you can spot the icy interloper before it fades in the coming weeks.

Comet 220P/McNaught orbits the sun once every 5.5-years.

It reached perihelion — its closest point to the sun — on June 14.

Solar heating typically increases cometary activity by causing volatile ices to turn directly into gas, releasing dust that reflects sunlight.

The comet's most recent perihelion passage was accompanied by two dramatic outbursts that saw its brightness jump to 20,000 times its usual level , making the ordinarily dim comet temporarily visible to stargazers using binoculars, telescopes, or cameras.

Comet 220P/McNaught is expected to dim significantly as it travels farther away from the sun, though it's possible that another outburst could see its brightness increase once more in the coming weeks! McNaught's has a current brightness, or magnitude of +9.2 according to the Comet Observation Database run by the Crni Vern observatory.

That would make it a challenge to spot with a pair of binoculars under less than perfect conditions, but puts it within reach of small telescopes under dark skies, where it mayappear as a faint, diffuse patch against the background stars.

Where can I find Comet 220P/McNaught in early September? Look east around midnight local time to find the stars of the constellation Taurus rising into the late summer sky.

Next, identify the "V" formation of the Hyades open star cluster shining at the heart of the constellation.

Comet McNaught can be found close to the magnitude 3.59 binary star system Omicron Tauri, two stars out from the point of the stellar "V".

How to find Comet McNaught with the stars of the constellation Taurus. (Image credit: Created by Anthony Wood in Canva) Comet McNaught will become easier to spot in the dark nights surrounding the new moon phase on Sept.

10-11, which will also present a perfect opportunity for .

It'll also make for long- exposure photography.