Get Ready to Witness Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks: A Guide to Viewing the Brightest Short-Period Comet in the Sky

2024-04-16 12:24:00

During this time, after the sun sets in the early evening. If the sky is clear one day We will have the opportunity to see Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks. that is bright and can be seen with the naked eye Until the end of April 2024, because this is the time when the comet orbits closest to the sun.

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks Classified as a comet “Short period comet” (Periodic comet) same type as The famous Comet Halley (1P/Halley), whose orbital period is approximately 71 years, was first discovered by French astronomer Jean-Louis Pons in 1812 and has since been rediscovered. again in 1883 by William Robert Brooks, an American astronomer. Hence the origin of the name comet. 12P/Pons-Brooks

This comet orbits the sun in a fairly elliptical orbit. The closest point to the Sun is only 116 million kilometers (0.77 AU), while the furthest point is 4,965 million kilometers (33.2 AU). This is when comets are usually at their brightest. This will be the period when the comet orbits closest to the Sun. This is because the comet’s nucleus will receive more energy and radiation from the sun. This causes a large cloud of dust and gas to spread out. which is now a comet 12P/Pons-Brooks It is orbiting closer and closer to the sun, with April 23, 2024 being the day when the comet orbits closest to the sun.

From the forecast by the website theskylive.com Comets can have apparent brightness values ​​of up to magnitude 4.42, similar to the apparent brightness values ​​of the Orion Nebula (M42) and open clusters in the constellation Canis Majora (M41). This means that if the sky is sufficiently dark, During the period when the comet is closest to the sun The comet will be visible to the naked eye. The expected apparent brightness ranking is only a preliminary estimate. Actual brightness depends on many factors. The comet may be brighter or less bright than expected.

During this time the comet 12P/Pons-Brooks Observations can be made in the early evening after sunset from today onwards. During the time when the sun is setting behind the horizon Comets only have an elevation angle of about 12 degrees, so they only have a short time in the sky before they set behind the sun. The comet’s low angle may also make it difficult to observe due to atmospheric pollution. Then the comet will gradually Change position, moving to the constellation of the Ram (Aries) at the end of March. It will move towards the constellation Taurus in late April, when the comet is likely to be at its brightest.

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks It is classified as one of the brightest short-period comets. and has an orbital period similar to Halley’s Comet That means In a person’s lifetime there will only be one opportunity to observe this comet. Before the comet orbits away from the Sun, it slowly fades into space. Then it will come back close to the sun for us to see again in the next 71 years.

Thanks for the information – reference picture
– www.skyatnightmagazine.com
– www.spektrum.de
– National Astronomical Research Institute NARIT

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