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Credit & Copyright: Ian Sharp
Explanation:
Will Comet Catalina become visible to the unaided eye?
Given the unpredictability of comets, no one can say for sure, but it seems like
a good bet.
The comet was discovered in 2013 by observations of the
Catalina Sky Survey.
Since then,
Comet C/2013
US10 (Catalina)
has steadily brightened and is currently brighter than 8th
magnitude, making
it visible with binoculars and
long-duration camera images.
As the
comet
further approaches the inner Solar System it will surely
continue
to intensify,
possibly becoming a naked eye object sometime in October and
peaking sometime in late November.
The comet
will reside primarily in the skies of the southern hemisphere until mid-December,
at which time its highly inclined orbit will bring it quickly into northern skies.
Featured above,
Comet Catalina was imaged
last week sporting a
green coma and
two growing tails.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: comet
Publications with words: comet
See also:
- APOD: 2025 February 5 Á Comet G3 ATLAS Setting over a Chilean Hill
- APOD: 2025 February 2 Á Comet G3 ATLAS Disintegrates
- APOD: 2025 January 28 Á Comet G3 ATLAS over Uruguay
- APOD: 2025 January 26 Á The Many Tails of Comet G3 ATLAS
- Comet G3 ATLAS: a Tail and a Telescope
- APOD: 2025 January 21 Á Comet ATLAS over Brasilia
- APOD: 2025 January 20 Á Comet ATLAS Rounds the Sun