Community Corner
Comet Pan-Starrs Pops Up Tonight, But Best Seen Mid-March
Ames Area Astronomers offer tips for viewing Comet PanSTARRS.
Comet Panstarrs should be visible from Ames' western horizon tonight, but will be hard to see in the twilight, said Charles Kerton, Iowa State University associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
Kerton said the best time to see it will be from March 12 on, when the comet will be higher in the sky after sunset making it easier to spot.
“Right now nobody can say for certain just how bright (or faint!) the comet will be, we'll just have to wait and see,” Kerton said.
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The Ames Area Amateur Astronomers club said to look for the comet near the crescent moon on March 12 through March 14, and have posted more information on the Ames Patch Facebook page.
It should be best seen on a clear night, low on the horizon just after sunset. And according to the latest forecasts a clear night might not be seen in Ames for quite some time.
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A photo of its peak can be seen at NASA.Com.
Ames Area Astronomers said that the comet will move northward each evening “from being in front of the constellation Pisces to being in front of the constellations Pegasus and Andromeda.”
Its bright dust tail might even be visible to the naked eye, though some have suggested using binoculars (but only after sunset so not to injure the eyes) to see it. If you miss the early mid-March sightings, Ames Area Astronomers say that the comet “swings above the star Algenib on March 17 -18, and above the star Alpheratz on March 25-26.”
Find additional tips for viewing on Space.Com or check "Earth and Sky" site at: http://earthsky.org/space/comet-panstarrs-possibly-visible-to-eye-in-march-2013
Find a recent update on NBC News' "Cosmic Log" :
The comet was discovered by scientists that were scanning the galaxy for objects that could threaten earth and is named after the telescope that first spotted it.
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