Posted on 12/09/2018 2:54:09 PM PST by BenLurkin
The comet 46P/Wirtanen, which passes Earth every 5.4 years, was one of three comets discovered by Carl Wirtanen in 1948 at the Lick Observatory in California. This orbit will be one of the closest comet orbits to Earth since the 1950s, according to Space.com.
The comet 46P will likely not have a large observable tail because of its relatively small size, according to Space.com. It measures 0.68 miles in diameter, one-tenth the size of the popular Halley's Comet. Currently, 46P is a small blueish object in the night sky.
The comet will be passing in the Southern sky, near the constellation Orion, according to CBC....the best ways to get a glimpse of this comet will be with binoculars or a telescope.... and it will be at its closest to Earth at 8:06 a.m. ET on Dec. 16
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...
Thanks fieldmarshaldj. Alas, we'll probably have overcast on the 16th, and the 16th of next month, and the month after that, and the month after that...
I’ve seen about 4 comets. Hale-Bopp was once-in-a-lifetime. Maybe twice, but most people don’t even see one like that.
The only comet I saw which was easily visible in the sky was Comet Bennett in 1970. I managed to see Halley’s Comet, Kohoutek, and maybe Hale-Bopp, but only through binoculars. Too much light pollution and air pollution nowadays in most places.
A few days ago there was a prediction that the Andromedid meteors might put on a real show this year (associated with Comet Biela). I haven’t had a chance to look (cloudy skies every night) and haven’t heard anything further. Did they actually materialize?
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