NASA Says One Comet Will Be Visible On NYE
According to NASA, on New Year’s Eve there will be than fireworks in the sky. A comet will be near the moon and will be more visible for those looking west.
Grab a pair of binoculars and look for comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdušáková, which was named after the astronomers who discovered in 1948 it takes 5.25 years to complete its orbit.
The comet was first visible this year on the low western horizon on December 15th.
On New Year’s Eve the comet will appear right next to the moon and will be observable from the Northern Hemisphere. To check if the comet will be visible in your location on New Year’s visit TheSkyLive.com.
After appearing New Year’s Eve the comet will reach its perihelion- the point of orbit when an object is closest to the sun- on New Year’s Day. It will make its way around the sun and disappear from visibility from Earth. The comet will be viewable and be at its brightest once it swings back around the sun in 2017.
The maximum brightness will be around magnitude 6, which is the equivalent of looking at a faint star with the naked eye.
