How to see rock-comet 3200 Phaethon

earthsky.org ^ | 12/12/2017

[BenLurkin]

Although the Geminid meteor shower will peak on the night of December 12 and 13 (mornings of December 13 to 14), its parent body – a curious rock-comet known as 3200 Phaethon – has been visible in our skies for some weeks to those with small telescopes. Charts to find it are included in this article. On December 16, this 3-mile-wide (5-km-wide) space rock will be closer to Earth than it has been since its discovery in 1983. In fact, NASA says, the 2017 encounter is the closest by this asteroid since 1974 and until 2093.

Closest approach to Earth will take place on December 16 at 22 UTC (6 p.m. Eastern Time; translate to your time zone).

...3200 Phaethon will pass at an extremely safe distance of a 6,407,618 miles (10,312,061 km) from our planet....

However, both professional and amateur astronomers are excited, because this mysterious rock-comet will reach a brightness or magnitude of +10.8 to +11, during its sweep past Earth. That makes 3200 Phaethon bright enough to be seen in 4'; or 5'; diameter, and bigger telescopes.

Astronomers first noticed 3200 Phaethon on October 11, 1983 in data obtained by NASA’s Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS). Although it is classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid, the object has a well-known orbit now and doesn’t represent a collision danger, at least not during the coming several centuries for which its trajectory has been calculated. Potentially hazardous, in this case, doesn’t mean the object is on a collision course with Earth. It just means this object makes periodic close approaches to Earth (and likely has done so for millions, if not billions of years) and that it’s large enough to cause significant damage if it were to strike us.

[Conan the Librarian]

I was hoping to try to see this from our dark sky site, but, it looks more like I’ll have to go somewhere closer.

[beaversmom]

Related:

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/12/geminid-meteor-shower-best-asteroid-phaethon-skywatching-space-science

[C210N]

That makes 3200 Phaethon bright enough to be seen in 4'; or 5'; diameter, and bigger telescopes.

So, it would not be viewable from my 6" (.5') celestron?

For the record, the article refers to 4" or 5" scopes.

[VanDeKoik]

I wish I was 16 years old again, where I would totally brave 20 degree Michigan weather with my telescope for stuff like this.

I’ll try to rig something from my north-facing attic window. Worth a try.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks BenLurkin. Hittin' the APoD list too, why not?

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[politicianslie]

I’ll try to rig something from my north-facing attic window. Worth a try.

I plan on watching the instant replays on the internet.