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Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks became visible in the evening sky. The best conditions for viewing it will probably be next month, but it can already be observed over the Czech Republic.

You can now observe the comet in the evening and morning sky in the constellation of the Lizard. “In the coming weeks, the comet will gradually move exclusively to the evening sky and will be visible until the end of April with small binoculars, in the dark sky even at the limit of visibility with the naked eye,” informed astronomer Petr Horálek in press release.

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is known for its frequent outbursts. These arise due to cryovolcanic activity in its core. “These are accompanied by sudden brightenings, which could cause the comet to brighten even more in the coming weeks and be easier to see with the eyes,” Horálek advised.

Often the comet is called “devilish” because of the so-called horns. They grow during eruptions. “They occur because the comet’s large nucleus has an unusual ‘notch’ on its surface that blocks the outflow of cryomagma into space, causing the coma to (gas envelope surrounding the nucleus of a comet, editor’s note) grows in an irregular shape,” the website explained Live Science.

“The best period for its observation will be in March and the first half of April, when we can find it with a small telescope as it slowly moves through the constellations of Andromeda, Pisces and Aries,” the astronomer added.

A comet can create an amazing spectacle in the sky. “During the strongest brightening of the current return on July 20, 2023, about 10 billion kilograms of ice-dust material was probably ejected into the vicinity of the comet’s nucleus, which temporarily created the appearance of a comet resembling a horseshoe or the popular fictional spaceship Millennium Falcon from the Star Wars series,” Horálek described.

On February 21, the comet will enter the western tip of the Andromeda constellation. It will travel there until March 14. It is during this period that it will be best visible in the evening sky. In addition, after February 25, the moon will stop interfering with its light, so the comet will be easier to see in the dark sky outside the cities.

“At the same time, its passage under the galaxies M31 in Andromeda (March 8, 2024 about 9° south) and M33 in Trojúhelník (March 22 about 2.5° south, unfortunately under the moonlight) will be very photogenic. Between March 15 and 26 In 2024, the comet will pass through the northeastern tip of the Pisces constellation, and by that time it could already be visible with the naked eye (in the moonless sky far from cities),” said Horálek.

From March 27 to April 19, it will fly through the constellation Aries. “On the evening of Wednesday, April 10, the comet will pass angularly close to the young Moon, the planet Jupiter, and the planet Uranus, creating an extremely tempting opportunity for astrophotographers. Two days earlier, on April 8, 2024, it could also be visible in Central and North America during the day during a total solar eclipse,” the astronomer pointed out.

We will enjoy watching the sky this year. Comet, eclipse and meteor showers await us (1/2024):

TN.cz

2024-02-18 08:13:00
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