There's a bright new comet commin' to town!

by Peter Michaud

On January 30, Japanese amateur astronomer was scanning the skies with a large pair of binoculars. As he meandered through the constellations of Hydra and Libra he saw a fuzzy patch that just shouldn't have been there. Shortly after notifying the International Astronomical Union, Hyakutake would realize the dream of all amateur astronomers--the thrill of having your name attached to a potentially bright comet.

Calculations show that comet Hyakutake is destined to speed through our planetary neighborhood over the next few months and pass within about 10 million miles of our planet in late march. At its closest approach to the earth on March 26, this comet will be about 40 times farther away than the moon--which is pretty close for a comet.

Because the comet is relatively close to the earth in March, it will move significantly from one night to the next. From the 15th to the 23rd it will be drifting northward from Virgo into Bootes and passing just east of the star Arcturus on the 22nd. By the 23rd the comet will enter the northern sky and plunge toward a close (apparent) passage by the North star on the 27th. By the last few days of March, the comet will be visible low in the western sky, but a bright moon will probably cast too much light into the sky, making observation difficult.

The best time to look for this comet is after midnight during the latter half of March--between midnight and 3 am. The best time will be between March 20 and 27 when the comet will be relatively bright and the moon will not light up the late night sky.

Astronomers often describe comets as "dirty snowballs." Made from ices and dusty debris left over from the formation of our solar system, many comets have orbits that bring them close to the sun for short periods of time. Warmed by the sun, gases on the surface of the "snowball" are vaporized, releasing a cloud of gas and dust that is mostly blown away by the sun's radiation. Sunlight reflected off this cloud of gas and dust is what we see as a comet, with its tail blowing in the solar wind.

Peter Michaud is Bishop Museum Planetarium Manager

(from SkyWatch, Bishop Museum Planetarium)