Astronomy magazine podcast: Don Machholz and Comet 96P

Comet-hunter Don Machholz discusses a comet he discovered in 1986 using homemade binoculars.
By | Published: March 29, 2007 | Last updated on May 18, 2023
96P
Use this sky chart to locate Comet 96P this spring.
Astronomy: Roen Kelly
March 29, 2007
In the early morning of May 12 1986, comet-hunter Don Machholz scanned the eastern sky above the San Francisco Bay area. He found a peculiar smudge in a area where no such object was cataloged as existing. Talking note, Machholz revisited the area a half-hour later. He had discovered his third comet — 96P.

Comet 96P (Machholz) returns to our sky this spring. In this week’s show, Don shares his story about discovering the comet and how you can observe it.

You can read Don’s account here.

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