UTICA, N.Y. – The stars aligned for a New York couple on their engagement night, providing a picture-perfect moment that was out of this world.
John Nicoterra proposed to his girlfriend, Erica Pendrak, Saturday night in Utica.
Nicoterra told Pendrak that he wanted to view the rare comet NEOWISE before it disappeared on Thursday. During the viewing, Nicoterra got on one knee and proposed, and a friend of the couple snapped a picture of the special moment, with NEOWISE on full display.
The photo, which has been shared thousands of times on social media, shows the comet between the happy couple. Nicoterra says it even caught the attention of NASA and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
Scientists say catching a glimpse of NEOWISE is a once-in-a-lifetime event. Once it disappears, it won’t visible on Earth for another 6,800 years.