Comet McNaught - more visible than expected

[paisley]

astronomy pic of the day says you can see Comet McNaught heading for the sun over the next few days (and later this month on its way back from rounding the sun).

Explanation: Early morning risers with a clear and unobstructed eastern horizon can enjoy the sight of Comet McNaught (C/2006 P1) in dawn skies over the next few days. Discovered in August by R. H. McNaught (Siding Spring Survey) the comet has grown bright enough to see with the unaided eye but will soon be lost in the glare of the Sun. Still, by January 11 sun-staring spacecraft SOHO should be able to offer web-based views as the comet heads toward a perihelion passage inside the orbit of Mercury. This image captures the new naked-eye comet at about 2nd magnitude in twilight skies near sunset on January 3rd. After rounding the Sun and emerging from the solar glare later this month, Comet McNaught could be even brighter.

How to find Comet McNaught: January 5-7, 2007

astro pic of the day

[paisley]

in looking for "web views" of the comet from the SOHO spaceship (how good is that?) came across this pic that makes for a pretty sweet desktop background on spaceweather.com... use "stretch" setting

auroras over waterfall

there's also a link on there to the SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) (spaceship!) website for watching the comet when its nearest the sun from Jan 12 - 15

[paisley]

look to east at sunrise/west at sunset (picture)

The brightest comet in decades is unexpectedly now visible. The most optimistic predictions have Comet McNaught (C/2006 P1) shortly becoming one of the brightest comets of the past century. For the next few days, its short tail and bright coma can be spotted with the unaided eye close to the Sun and near the horizon in both evening and morning skies. This dramatic picture of the comet shining through cloudy skies was taken near sunset on January 7 from Bad Mergentheim, Germany.

you can even see the tail of the comet... neat