| 2016-1-01: Catalina -- First Comet of 2016 ⬅︎ |
 |
On January 1, Comet Catalina C/2013 US10 will be passing within 1 degree of Arcturus, the northern hemisphere's
brightest star. It will
then move towards Alkaid -- the end star of the handle of the Big Dipper -- and will pass it on January 15th.
Comet Catalina is too dim to be seen naked-eye -- you'll need binoculars or a small telescope. It will appear as a
small, fuzzy streak of light.
After midnight, look to the east for the very bright Arcturus. Then look for the end star of the handle of the Big
Dipper. Train your binoculars or telescope between the two to find Catalina.
Since it has already rounded the sun, it will be getting dimmer as it travels away from us so try to view it as soon as
possible.
Update: On January 8th we photographed Comet Catalina -- it had two tails! Go to the Astrophotos section of this
website
to see our photo. |
| |
