Look to Sky Tonight as Comet Pan-STARRS Makes First Appearance in Northern Hemisphere

More brilliant than any comet seen in recent years, Comet Pan-STARRS will make its Northern Hemisphere debut tonight after months of visibility to skygazers in the Southern Hemisphere. 

Fox News reports the comet will be visible to the unaided eye. To see the comet, look for it in the west, just to the left of the point on your horizon where the sun sets, shortly after sunset over the next few days. Comet Pan-STARRS will be at its brightest Sunday, March 10, when it makes its closest approach to the sun. 

SPACE.com will provide up-to-date information on sighting opportunities for the comet.

Fox News reports that two comet-watching dates to prepare for will be next Tuesday and Wednesday, March 12 and 13. On those evenings, the thin crescent moon will be close to the comet in the sky, and depending on the size and direction of the comet's tail, the moon may actually be silhouetted against the tail March 13.

You might also be interested in reading: 

• Newly Discovered Planet Kepler-37b is Roughly Same Size as Earth's Moon
• NASA Investing in Early Detection of Asteroids
• Meteor that Disintegrated over Russian City Not Connected to Asteroid
• Mining Asteroids for Gold — A Promising Mission or a Potential 'Black Hole'?
• UFO Sighting Reported over Barrow County Jail
• NASA's Voyager 1 Reaching Interstellar Space 35 Years after Leaving Earth

Keep up with South Gate - Lynwood Patch Latino by subscribing to breaking news alerts, liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter. Have an event or announcement you'd like to publicize? Submit them for free.