Seems like we should get a chance to see PanSTARRS in the northern hemisphere from March 8th through to March 20th. People in the southern hemisphere have already got some great pictures of the comet so it’s all getting quite exciting. The idea will be to look west just after sunset each night and scan the horizon. PanSTARRS should appear close to the crescent Moon on March 12th so will be easiest to spot then. Comet PanSTARRS is predicted to reach a magnitude +3 in brightness which is not quite as high as the 0 that was predicted initially but it could always surprise us if it suddenly releases more ice on its journey past the Sun than we think it will. So, theoretically we should be able to see it with the naked eye. As usual though, binoculars or a telescope will work much better. Fingers crossed for clear skies through March!
PanSTARRS is giving us a great opportunity for a warm-up act in time for Comet ISON later in the year (Nov/Dec time). ISON may be even brighter, but as usual with comets, only time will tell what we’ll actually get to see.
For a bit more info about PanSTARRS and ISON, see my earlier blog entries in February 2013.