Comet Jacques Is Back! Joins Venus and Mercury at Dawn

universetoday.com ^ | July 12, 2014 | Bob King on

[BenLurkin]

Comet C/2014 E2 Jacques has returned! Before it disappeared in the solar glow this spring, the comet reached magnitude +6, the naked eye limit. Now it’s back at dawn, rising higher each morning as it treks toward darker skies. Just days after its July 2 perihelion, the fuzzball will be in conjunction with the planet Venus tomorrow morning July 13. With Mercury nearby, you may have the chance to see this celestial ‘Rat Pack’ tucked within a 8° circle.

[BenLurkin]

Will you see it? Comet Jacques will pass about 3.5 degrees north of brilliant Venus tomorrow morning July 13. This map shows the sky facing northeast about 1 hour before sunrise when the comet will be 10° high in the northeastern sky. Stellarium

[EEGator]

[SunkenCiv]

Extra to APoD. Thanks BenLurkin.

[real saxophonist]

bump

Gustav Holst Venus

Gustav Holst Mercury

[BenLurkin]

Beautiful, thank you!

[Verginius Rufus]

Meanwhile, on July 13 Mars will be in conjunction with Spica (1.3 degrees separation) in the evening sky.

Despite Spica being a binary star with a luminosity 12,000 times that of the sun, the event is not expect to harm Mars. In fact, in 1783 Venus actually occulted Spica without suffering any damage.

[real saxophonist]

My pleasure. I’ve been on a Holst kick lately.

[Talisker]

Comets can be spirals, Venus can be a crescent...

Hackpen Hill, nr Winterbourne Bassett, Wiltshire. United Kingdom. Reported 8th July.

[Talisker]

Or rather I should have said, comets can move in an apparent spiral around and behind the sun and back out again, from the perspective of Earth - as Comet Jacques is, and then moving past Venus, which can be a crescent.

[colorado tanker]

Frere Jacques, Frere Jacques . . .