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Comet at its brightest: The Pan-STARRS comet will make its closest approach over the weekend and will be the brightest comet to pass by Earth in years.
For those in search of comet L4 Pan-STARRS, look to the west after sunset in early and mid-March. This graphic shows the comet's expected positions in the sky. (NASA)
This weekend, a comet that one can see with the naked eye will be at its brightest location in the sky.
The Pan-STARRS comet to appear “just after twilight” in the night sky across the Northern Hemisphere and will be brighter than most comets in recent years, NASA said. On Sunday, the comet will get closest to the sun.
But actually viewing the comet might be a bit tricky as one will need a good view to see it.
“There is a catch to viewing Comet Pan-STARRS,” Amy Mainzer, the head investigator of NASA’s near-Earth object hunting with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in a statement. “This one is not that bright and is going to be low on the western horizon, so you’ll need a relatively unobstructed view to the southwest at twilight and, of course, some good comet-watching weather.”
She said that if one tries to view it too early in the day, then it will be too bright. But if it is too late, the comet will be obstructed by the horizon.
“This comet has a relatively small window,” Mainzer said, but kept positive. “You bet I’m going to go look at it!” she said.
“Comet PanSTARRS may be a little bit of a challenge to find without a pair of binoculars, but there is something intimately satisfying to see it with your own two eyes. If you have a good viewing spot and good weather, it will be like the Sword of Gryffindor, it should present itself to anyone who is worthy,” she said.
Pan-STARRS will pass around 28 million miles from the sun during its closes approach.
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