Comet PANSTARRS to glow in evening twilight
Comet PANSTARRS, the brightest such object in six years, will stand out this March.
By
Richard Talcott —
Published:
January 24, 2013 As it makes its first trip through the inner solar system, Comet PANSTARRS could brighten to naked-eye visibility late in February for observers in the Southern Hemisphere. // Astronomy: Roen Kelly
Researchers discovered this comet June 6, 2011, on images taken through the 1.8-meter Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) on Haleakala in Hawaii. At the time, the object glowed dimly at 19th magnitude. But its time as an inconspicuous visitor from the distant Oort Cloud will soon be over.
For complete coverage of Comet PANSTARRS, visit www.astronomy.com/panstarrs.
If predictions hold true — never a sure thing when it comes to comets making their first trip through the inner solar system — PANSTARRS ill become a superb object when viewed through binoculars and probably an impressive naked-eye sight. It could peak as bright as magnitude 0 during the first half of March, although some estimates now are a more conservative magnitude 3.
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 Comet PANSTARRS climbs northward through the constellations Pisces and Andromeda as it puts on a shower after the Sun sets in March. // Astronomy: Roen Kelly
The
comet pushes northward during March, and at midmonth it becomes visible
in the evening sky for Northern Hemisphere observers. If it reaches its
predicted brightness, it may appear around March 6 or 7, although only a
degree above the western horizon 30 minutes after sunset. Each
following day, the comet climbs 1° to 2° higher, which dramatically
improves its visibility. By the time it reaches perihelion (its closest
approach to the Sun) March 9/10, Comet PANSTARRS lies 7° high in the west 30
minutes after sunset and could shine at magnitude 0. As dusk soaks up
the Sun’s rays and the sky darkens, the comet’s ethereal tail may come
into view.
From perihelion to the end of March, the comet moves almost due north through Pisces and Andromeda
while its brightness drops by about a magnitude every five days. The
tail of Comet PANSTARRS swings through 90°, turning from east to north.
Depending on how much dust the comet produces, this could create a nice
broad dust tail to go along with a finer, straighter gas tail.
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 Comet PANSTARRS glowed at 19th magnitude when astronomers discovered it in June 2011. // Henry Hsieh/PS1SC
To learn even more about Comet PANSTARRS, pick up the March 2013 Astronomy,
on newsstands this February. And as good as C/2011 L4 could be, it will
be only the second-best comet of 2013. Astronomers are predicting that
C/2012 S1 (ISON) could peak as bright as magnitude –12 in late November.
To learn more about this potentially great comet, see the article in
the January 2013 Astronomy. |
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