Comet McNaught (2006/P1) skims past the Sun before being hurtled away like a hot potato. Catch it before it makes its close encounter.
Don't miss the ***Update*** at the bottom of the article - Best Comet in 30 Years
Last summer, R. H. McNaught at the Siding Spring Observatory in Australia discovered comet 2006/P1, which would soon be named for him. Comet McNaught was first seen by one man as it neared our region of the solar system, but soon it may be viewable by anyone who knows where to look.
Comet McNaught is currently brightening as it nears the sun. It can be spotted in the east-southeast in the morning sky just before sunrise. Because the Sun is rising later these winter mornings, it is not so much of a chore to get up early to catch the comet. Comet McNaught is currently in the constellation Scutum, or just off the tail of Aquila the Eagle. It is best seen with binoculars, although you may be able to catch it with the naked eye once you know exactly where to look. Current estimates of magnitude place it around 0, and we can always hope for it to brighten as it continues to heat up near the Sun. If you are not an early riser, you can also try to catch it immediately after sunset.
Comet McNaught will soon begin its plunge toward the Sun between the constellations Sagittarius and Capricornus. Its closest approach to the Sun will occur on January 13, and it will be too close to the Sun for earthly observers from January 11 to 15.
On January 13, Comet McNaught will lie just .17 AU from the Sun. Compare that to Mercury's orbit of .38 AU. Comet McNaught will then shoot "downward" into the Southern Hemisphere skies as it is flung out of the interior portion of the solar system. Northern Hemisphere observers have their best chance to see it just after the sun sets or in the morning just before sunrise until it nears too close to the Sun, when they will have to enjoy the comet from SOHO images.
***UPDATE*** January 10, 2007
Comet McNaught has been brightening dramatically as it heats up near the Sun. It has turned into the brightest comet in thirty years. It is currently at about magnitude -2. The comet is poised in a difficult observing location, very near to the Sun. Look immediately after sunset in the West or before sunrise in the East. At sunset, when you see the bright beacon of Venus in the southwest, the next brightest object in the sky is Comet McNaught. Venus is just to the left of where the sun set, and the comet is to the right of where the sun set and a little lower than Venus. You will need a flat expanse to the horizon to see it. Try using binoculars first to make sure you grab it. Far northern viewers (Canada, for example) who have an earlier sunset will have an easier time catching it. But plenty of viewers farther south have been able to catch the comet now as it brightens - even in a sunset sky. Check out the amazing images of Comet McNaught in the spaceweather gallery.
Read my Comet McNaught observing report from January 10, 2007.
***UPDATE*** January 13, 2007
Comet McNaught is now bright enough to be seen in broad daylight. If you were unable to catch it during sunrise and sunset, you have new opportunities. At magnitude -4 to -5, it is the brightest comet since Ikeya-Seki in 1965 and may continue to brighten. Comet McNaught can be seen if you position yourself so that an object blocks the Sun. Try standing with a streetlight blocking out the sun or the corner of a building. Then, with your fist at arm's length, measure one fist-width from the sun to the east. That is where the comet will be. Observers have reported the head and the tail as visible in daylight.
***UPDATE*** January 19, 2007
Comet McNaught has now left the Northern Hemisphere...except for its tail. Amazingly, the long, bright tail is still observable by Northern Hemisphere viewers. Look west one to two hours after sunset from a dark sky location. Light pollution will interfere with your attempts to see the tail. Because the tail is so long, it is fanning out in space and does not look like a straight line but looks like a curved expanded trail of dust. The tail appears to have streamers and may appear to an observer to resemble an aurora. For photos of the tail, check www.spaceweather.com.
Look here for information on Comet Holmes, which brightened in October 2007.
