Current:Home > FinanceAcross the Northern Hemisphere, now’s the time to catch a new comet before it vanishes for 400 years -Quantum Capital Pro
Across the Northern Hemisphere, now’s the time to catch a new comet before it vanishes for 400 years
View
Date:2025-04-12 15:32:27
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A newly discovered comet is swinging through our cosmic neighborhood for the first time in more than 400 years.
Stargazers across the Northern Hemisphere should catch a glimpse as soon as possible — either this week or early next — because it will be another 400 years before the wandering ice ball returns.
The comet, which is kilometer-sized (1/2-mile), will sweep safely past Earth on Sept. 12, passing within 78 million miles (125 million kilometers).
Early risers should look toward the northeastern horizon about 1 1/2 hours before dawn — to be specific, less than 10 or so degrees above the horizon near the constellation Leo. The comet will brighten as it gets closer to the sun, but will drop lower in the sky, making it tricky to spot.
Although visible to the naked eye, the comet is extremely faint.
“So you really need a good pair of binoculars to pick it out and you also need to know where to look,” said said Paul Chodas, manager of NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies.
The comet will come closest to the sun — closer than Mercury is — on about Sept. 17 before departing the solar system. That’s assuming it doesn’t disintegrate when it buzzes the sun, though Chodas said “it’s likely to survive its passage.”
Italian astronomer Gianluca Masi, founder of the Virtual Telescope Project, said in an email that the next week represents “the last, feasible chances” to see the comet from the Northern Hemisphere before it’s lost in the sun’s glare.
“The comet looks amazing right now, with a long, highly structured tail, a joy to image with a telescope,” he said.
If it survives its brush with the sun, the comet should be visible in the Southern Hemisphere by the end of September, Masi said, sitting low on the horizon in the evening twilight.
Stargazers have been tracking the rare green comet ever since its discovery by an amateur Japanese astronomer in mid-August. The Nishimura comet now bears his name.
It’s unusual for an amateur to discover a comet these days, given all the professional sky surveys by powerful ground telescopes, Chodas said, adding, “this is his third find, so good for him.”
The comet last visited about 430 years ago, Chodas said. That’s about a decade or two before Galileo invented the telescope.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
veryGood! (3)
Related
- John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
- Stefon Diggs says it was 'very hurtful' to hear Buffalo Bills reporter's hot mic comments
- Massachusetts woman indicted on charges that she killed her three children
- Maui wildfire death toll drops to 97 from 115, authorities say
- 2 killed, 3 injured in shooting at makeshift club in Houston
- Outrage boils in Seattle and in India over death of a student and an officer’s callous remarks
- Ovidio Guzman Lopez, son of El Chapo, brought to US: Sources
- I tried the fancy MRI that Kim Kardashian, more stars are doing. Is it worth it?
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- Climate change could bring more monster storms like Hurricane Lee to New England
Ranking
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- London police arrest 25-year-old who allegedly climbed over and entered stables at Buckingham Palace
- 90 Day Fiancé's Yara Zaya Breaks Down in Tears Over Her Body Insecurities
- Afghan NGO says it’s working with the UN for the quick release of 18 staff detained by the Taliban
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- Here's the top country for retirement. Hint: it's not the U.S.
- Errors In a Federal Carbon Capture Analysis Are a Warning for Clean Energy Spending, Former Official Says
- Moose tramples hiker along Colorado trail, officials remind hikers to keep safe distance
Recommendation
'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
The teen mental health crisis is now urgent: Dr. Lisa Damour on 5 Things podcast
Massachusetts woman indicted on charges that she killed her three children
Court throws out conviction in case of bad truck brakes, girl’s death
Travis Hunter, the 2
Why you shouldn't be surprised that auto workers are asking for a 40% pay raise
Cara Delevingne Channels Her Inner Rockstar With a Colorful, Spiky Hair Transformation
Latino voters want Biden to take more aggressive action on immigration, polls find