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SALT LAKE CITY — It's like the universe decided to start throwing rocks at the Earth this year. What we did to make the universe so mad (or happy, depending on your view) isn't clear, but the space rocks keep coming, this time in the form of a comet that is making its closest approach to Earth.
It should be visible to folks in Utah soon with nothing more than your good, old-fashioned eyes.
C/2011 L4, more commonly known by the much more awesome name Pan-STARRS (claim that band name right now before someone else does), is an extremely rare comet that originated in the Oort Cloud, almost a light year from the Sun. It's extremely rare, taking millions of years to get to within one AU of Earth, and is not expected to be seen again for another 110,000 years.
It's been known since June of 2011, but astronomers have been excited for it to approach the Sun and brighten up a bit. It took a powerful telescope in Hawaii (from which it took the name Pan-STARRS), but It should be visible in the West just after the sun sets, very close to the horizon.
It could be visible as early as March 7, but will definitely brighten up as it gets closer and closer to perihelion, so March 10 to 14 should be excellent viewing days. March 12 and 13 should provide great views of the comet next to the moon.
Nothing special should be required, but binoculars will dramatically improve the view, as would a telescope. Just don't point them at the Sun, which would be extremely bad.
Hopefully Utah's mountains won't obstruct the view. It's best to get out of the city as well, and away from light pollution.
Amateur astronomers in the Southern Hemisphere have been snapping shots of Pan-STARRS since early February, but us Northerners will have to wait a bit longer.
This isn't the only comet we can expect to see this year, nor the most spectacular. C/2012 S1, also known as ISON, will be visible between August 2013 and January 2014. It could get bright enough to outshine the moon, and could be one of the brightest comets ever recorded.
At least we can enjoy the schadenfreude of knowing that the Universe hates/loves Mars too; C/2013 A1, also known as Siding Springs, will come less than 40,000 kilometers from the Red Planet according to some estimates, and stands a decent (by astronomical standards) chance of actually hitting mars at about 1 in 1,250. That would produce an explosion of between 1 billion and 20 billion megatons, or roughly the power of the comet that destroyed the dinosaurs.
It will approach the Red Planet in October of 2013.
Photo courtesy of Luis Argerich
