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Comet SWAN is sailing in dawn skies with a growing tail and a beautiful greenish head. Catch it easily in binoculars or hope for it to reach naked-eye visibility.
Comet SWAN is now visible in dawn and also just after sunset if you are positioned correctly and know where to look. Comet SWAN, also designated C/2006 M4, can be found near the bright star Cor Caroli in Canes Venatici. The position is close to the horizon for evening observers, so it will be a bit easier to catch if you get up in the early morning before the sun and try to spot it then. However, Comet SWAN is on the move and by mid-October it will be easier to spot in evening skies. To find Comet SWAN, trace out the shape of the Big Dipper. Then find the entire constellation of Ursa Major. The legs of the Great Bear extend below the "dipper" portion of the constellation. Behind the back leg of the Great Bear is the tiny constellation of Canes Venatici and its bright star Cor Caroli. Comet SWAN should be just below this star. (If you are up in the mornig hours, you can also try drawing a line mentally from the end of the Big Dipper, or the Great Bear's tail, to the tail of Leo the Lion. Comet SWAN will lie on that line about one-third of the way toward Leo from Ursa Major. You will know you found it when you see SWAN's fuzzy green head. The tail, although faint, has been reported as stretching over three degrees in length. The tail of the comet will always point away from the direction of the sun, because it dust being blown off of the nucleus of the comet by the solar wind. The comet is approximately 6th magnitude now in early October. This places it as an easy binocular object, which would also mean it will look excellent through a telescope. It may brighten as it enters more into the evening sky in mid-October, being just visible with the naked eye from a dark site. Comet SWAN was discovered on July 13, 2006, from an image taken by the SOHO spacecraft on June 20, 2006. SOHO is designed to study the sun and has caught many comets during its lifetime, often just before they were sucked into the sun by its intense gravity and swallowed up by its heat. SOHO has officially discovered 1185 comets to this point, more than all other searches combined. Update - 10/17/2006Comet SWAN has left Canes Venatici and is now in Bootes. Instead of looking beneath the tail or handle of the Big Dipper, follow the tail as it points right at the comet. If you know the saying "arc to Arcturus," follow the curve of the Big Dipper but only one-third of the way to the bright star Arcturus to find Comet SWAN. Comet SWAN will continue to slide south, crossing Bootes and Corona Borealis and reaching Hercules by the end of the month, where it will then cut across Hercules' midsection. Happy Hunting! Update - 10/25/2006Comet SWAN has undergone a sudden brightening and is now visible to the unaided eye. At magnitude 4.5, the comet should be visible from a non-light-polluted location once your eyes have adjusted to the darkness. Take a drive into the country and look for it in the west after sunset when it is truly dark. It is now above the U shape of Corona Borealis but will be moving into Hercules quickly over the next few days. Start with a pair of binoculars to make sure you find it and then trying spotting it with your eyes alone. For a bright January 2007 comet, view this article. My Comet SWAN observing report from October 29, 2006 My Comet SWAN observing report from October 23, 2006 (in parody format) My Comet SWAN observing report from October 6, 2006
The copyright of the article New Comet Becomes Visible in Stargazing is owned by Kelly Whitt. Permission to republish New Comet Becomes Visible in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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