A worldwide health event and a canceled vacation couldnt stop John Nicotera, of Utica, from pulling off an astronomical wedding proposal under Comet Neowise for his girlfriend.

Nicotera and now-fianc Erica Pendrak met on Instagram. They both live in Utica and are teachers in the Central NY area.

We knew of each other. We both coach in the area and have some mutual friends. She posted something one day about basketball and I made a comment underneath it and the conversation kept going from there, he said.

For Christmas in 2019, he gave Pendrak a trip to Oregon in July 2020. He had a tentative plan to propose to her at Crater Lake National Park while they were there. The trip was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic in May and Nicotera began to think about what his plan B would be for the engagement.

I was bummed that it was canceled. Any plan I came up just didnt seem to compare to Crater Lake, he said.

Nicotera calls himself a space junkie, always following news about space events, watching SpaceX launches, and reading books about space. When Comet Neowise was set to arrive and be visible from Upstate NY, he asked Pendrak if she would view it with him. After she agreed view the rare comet, the idea to propose to her under the celestial event clicked.

Now he had to set plans in motion to make it happen, but he quickly realized he might only have one chance for it all to work.

We had other things going on during the week and that was really the only night that worked for us. At that point I knew I needed the clouds to be away, the skies to be clear, and mother nature to be friendly to me, he said.

Not only were busy schedules an issue, but according to NASA, the Neowise comet only comes around every 6,800 years.

Nicotera had originally enlisted the help of photographer friend Tim Leach of Old Forge, NY, to get ideas of the perfect spot to see the comet. When Nicotera forgot to bring his binoculars, he reached out to Leach to see if he could borrow a pair. Leach offered to take photos with them and let them see the comet through the camera. Thats when the proposal idea came tumbling out.

I spilled the beans to him and I told him about the idea to get a photo of the proposal with the comet, Nicotera said.

To make sure everything worked perfectly, he said said it was a stressful day, but Pendrak said she was none the wiser about the master plan.

We had just wanted to get away for the day and enjoy the boat and see the comet at night. His friend Tim offered to take couples pictures so I was excited about that and said yeah lets definitely get some pictures, she said.

Leach and his girlfriend met up with the CNY couple near McCauley Mountain and got ready to view the comet. Leachs main camera was set up for a timelapse which he said is best for astrophotography and he had a small point-and-shoot camera ready to go for the moment of the proposal.

John Nicotera and Erica Pendrak as the sun sets in the Adirondacks. Nicotera surprised Pendrak that night by asking her to marry him under Comet Neowise.

When Nicotera popped the question, Leach was ready to take the shot, but capturing them and the comet with very little light required them to stand still for seven seconds per photo. After he got down on one knee, Pendrak waited seven seconds for Nicotera to ask her to marry him.

I just found the best middle ground in the time I had to shoot the photo. John and Erica had to be still for about seven seconds. You will notice that the photo is slightly out of focus, mostly due to the fact that it is nearly impossible for a person to be perfectly still for seven seconds, Leach said. But, it is the moment that counts.

John Nicotera and Erica Pendrak of Utica, NY got engaged under Comet Neowise near McCauley Mountain in the Adirondacks. The photo was captured by Leach Photography.@tleach18 | Provided photo

The result was out-of-this-world photos that have been shared across the internet after Nicotera posted them on Twitter. The couple has been featured on Good Morning America, CNN, ABC News, The Weather Channel, Fox News, and more.

Its crazy. It was a shock when we woke up the next morning and we saw how many likes and retweets this got. Its awesome that we have that moment that we can keep and cherish and have, but that its being shared is awesome, Pendrak said.

The couple has not set a date yet, but is shooting for summer 2021.

Right now were just enjoying everything, Pendrak said.

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A once-in-6,800-years wedding proposal: CNY couple gets engaged under Comet Neowise - syracuse.com