Couple captures stellar engagement photos under comet NEOWISE

OLD FORGE, N.Y. - The stars seem to have aligned for one New York couple, as they were visited by the comet NEOWISE on their engagement night.

John Nicotera was originally planning on proposing to his girlfriend Erica Pendrak during their summer trip to Oregon, according to Travel and Leisure. When the trip got canceled because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Nicotera scrambled to make an alternative plan that would be equally as special.

Little did he know that his plan B would be out of this world.

The couple traveled to Old Forge, New York, where they could get a rare view of NEOWISE before it disappears from view on Thursday. As they saw the comet pass by, Nicotera got down on one knee and proposed with a breathtaking view.

The couple’s friend managed to catch the special moment on camera.

"I felt instant chills and pure happiness. I immediately started to cry," commented Pendrak. "I was so surprised and happy."

She shared that Nicotera said he was nervous all week leading up to the proposal, until "he just felt it was the perfect time to propose."

The newly-engaged couple decided to share the news on Twitter, where Nicotera tagged the International Space Station, NASA, Space X and even Elon Musk. The photos have since gone viral with over a thousand retweets and 8,000 likes for the happy couple.

Nicotera and Pendrak are not the only ones fully enjoying the comet — earlier this month, a U.K. photographer managed to capture a timelapse of NEOWISE on video.

RELATED: Photographer captures incredible view of comet NEOWISE in timelapse over UK

According to NASA, the comet was first discovered back in March using the Near-Earth Object-Wide Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE). The comet “survived its recent closest approach to the sun, and is now headed back toward the outer solar system,” the NASA report said.