In June last year, an automated telescope located in Hawaii, dubbed Pan-STARRS, discovered a faint comet that is expected to reach naked-eye brightness when it nears perihelion in March. That's right now, and the comet is indeed bright enough to be seen with no magnification. And, it promises to get brighter as the next few days move forward.
Comets are usually named for their discoverer, and since there was nobody actually doing the viewing last June, just an automated telescope obtaining images of the night sky, it has the name of the telescope. The official designation is C/2011 L4. It is estimated comet Pan-STARRS came in toward the sun from the distant Oort cloud, and may never return. It has an estimated period of 106,000 years.
Viewers in the United States have seen the comet just after sunset, close to where the sun disappears and about 20 minutes later.
One diligent observer in Regina saw it briefly March 9, which was confirmed by two other witnesses. This is likely the first observation from Canada.
Over the next few days, the comet will get brighter and higher in the sky, so plan to watch for it, as it will begin to fade soon and gradually be gone from our springtime sky.
Two other comets are looming on the horizon: Comet ISON, also named for the Russian telescope that discovered it, and Comet Lemmon, discovered a year ago by A.R. Gibbs using the telescope at the Mt. Lemmon Survey, located on Mount Lemmon north of Tucson, Ariz.
