https://www.usatoday.com/story...ext-week/2205179002/

Skywatchers will get a special treat next week as the year’s brightest comet flies across the night sky.

Though the comet has the rather uninspiring name of "46P/Wirtanen," it will be among the 10 closest comet approaches to Earth since 1950 and the 20th-closest approach of a comet dating as far back as the ninth century, according to Sky & Telescope.

Wirtanen’s closest approach to the sun will be Wednesday, Dec. 12, and its closest approach to Earth will be Sunday, Dec. 16, EarthSky said. On that day, the comet will be "only" 7.1 million miles from Earth, which is rather close in cosmic terms. (The sun, for instance, is about 93 million miles away.)

The comet should be visible with the naked eye, but the best views will probably be through binoculars and small telescopes, especially away from city lights. "Be sure to seek out dark skies in your quest for Comet 46P Wirtanen," said David Dickenson of Universe Today.

One nuisance will be brightness from the increasingly full moon next week.

The comet and its coma (the fuzzy-looking area around the comet) will be rather large – two to three times the diameter of the moon, Sky & Telescope reported.

"Remember, you’re not looking for a sharp star-like object but rather something which is spreading its light out over a relatively large area," said Sky & Telescope's Joe Rao


One extra bit of good news: There is "no chance of the comet hitting Earth," the University of Maryland's astronomy department reported.

Cool, thank you.

On second thought, are we sure it's not a Necromonger ship? Where's Riddick?

is there some app / website which shows where to look in the sky, and when, based on my location?

Tagged. Thanks

quote:

Originally posted by radioman:
is there some app / website which shows where to look in the sky, and when, based on my location?

For those more curious, here's a page with more info. The location in the sky will be changing as 46P continues on its orbit. You can use Orion as a reference point, and the article shows where for Dec dates.

46P Wirtanen

This article also seems less than certain we will be able to see this comet unaided.

Sidenote: Neptune is near Mars next few days.
From Stardate

Mars and Neptune
StarDate: December 5, 2018
Neptune is a forgotten giant. It’s the fourth-largest planet in the solar system — almost four times the diameter of Earth. Yet it’s so far away that we need help to see it. Out of sight, out of mind.

For the next few nights, though, you can get a good idea of where Neptune is by following a bright point of light — the planet Mars. The Red Planet is well up in the south at nightfall, and looks like a bright orange star.

Tonight, Neptune is about a degree to the upper left of Mars — less than the width of a finger held at arm’s length. Mars will move much closer to Neptune tomorrow night, then slide just past it by Thursday night.

Under dark skies, Neptune is just visible through strong binoculars. But for the best view you need a telescope. The planet looks like a small, faint star, with a hint of blue.

Mars passes by Neptune every couple of years or so. It takes Mars that long to make a full loop against the background of stars.

Neptune doesn’t move nearly that quickly, though. That’s because its average distance from the Sun is about 2.8 billion miles — roughly 20 times farther than Mars is. At that range, it takes 165 years for Neptune to complete one turn through the sky.

Again, look for Mars in the south as the sky gets good and dark, and sliding down the southwestern sky later on. And if you have dark skies and some help, take a look for Neptune, too — a forgotten giant near the Red Planet.


Script by Damond Benningfield

quote:

Originally posted by preten2b:
Cool, thank you.

On second thought, are we sure it's not a Necromonger ship? Where's Riddick?

^^^^^^^^