A new binocular comet before dawn

View larger. | Comet C/2013 X1 (PanSTARRS) captured earlier this year by Efraín Morales of the Sociedad de Astronomía del Caribe.

Comet C/2013 X1 (PanSTARRS) is now visible in binoculars and telescopes for Northern Hemisphere observers. It is approaching Earth and will pass distantly, at over 59 million miles (95 million km) from our planet, in late June, 2016. The celestial visitor was recently seen from the Southern Hemisphere, but is now gradually moving to Northern Hemisphere skies. This post has charts and other information that can help you spot the comet in the coming weeks!

This month – May, 2016 – Comet C/2013 X1 is visible with optical aid in faint Aquarius, a constellation visible in dark skies from the Northern Hemisphere by looking to the east-southeast before sunrise. Since the comet is low in the sky (about 20 degrees above the horizon) it is essential to avoid visual obstructions in the east-southeastward direction.

A good date to try to spot Comet C/2013 X1 will be on the morning of Friday, May 20, 2016. About 30 to 45 minutes before sunrise, facing east-southeast and assuming your sky is dark enough, you might be able to pick out three naked-eye stars in Aquarius that form an arc pointing to the celestial visitor, as shown in the illustration below.

May 20, 2016, a close view. Facing east-southeast, about 30-45 minutes before sunrise. An arc of three stars points to the comet around this date. Illustration by Eddie Irizarry using Stellarium.

May 20, 2016, a wider view. Facing east-southeast, about 30-45 minutes before sunrise. Illustration by Eddie Irizarry using Stellarium.

Observers are reporting the comet’s magnitude is around 7.3, which means it is not visible to the unaided eye, but visible in binoculars and small telescopes. Although the comet might brighten during the next days or weeks, recent observations suggest its brightness has remained steady. Comets have shown to be unpredictable, however, so monitoring is encouraged. Sometimes these objects unexpectedly increase in brightness.

Here is the comet on May 25, about 30-45 minutes before sunrise. Illustration by Eddie Irizarry using Stellarium.

The PanSTARRS 1 telescope in Hawaii discovered this comet on December 4, 2013. Comet C/2013 X1 reached its perihelion (closest to sun) on April 20, 2016. Closest approach to Earth will happen on June 21-22, 2016, but by then the comet is very low in the sky. Plus its closest point to Earth coincides with the interfering light from a full moon. Observers in the southern United States, and especially observers in even lower latitudes, will have a better position to try to see the comet (with optical aid) during closest approach.

On May 29, about 30-45 minutes before sunrise, the comet is located just one degree (2 lunar diameters) above Skat, a naked-eye star in Aquarius, which has a magnitude of 3.25. Illustration by Eddie Irizarry using Stellarium.

Don’t expect to see a glamorous tail; the comet is showing modest twin tails in recent long exposure images, but visually, using a small telescope it will look like a dim patch of haze or a small ball of cotton. However, it is always fascinating to see a celestial visitor that came from the distant Oort cloud. It is also amazing to know that the fuzzy object is travelling though space at a speed of 112,742 miles per hour (181,440 km/h).

A good photo opportunity comes on June 4, as the comet passes very close to NGC 7293 (Helix Nebula), the remmant of a star. Illustration by Eddie Irizarry using Stellarium.

Bottom line: Since Comet C/2013 X1 (PanSTARRS) is already looking good with the help of a small telescope or good binoculars, you can try to spot this comet early on any clear morning during the coming month. Take a good look at the illustrations on this page; they can help you find the celestial visitor.

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1qqmifp