![]() 29P/Schwassmann-WachmannĢ9P/Schwassmann-Wachmann stays visible in the western sky through mid-May. Although the comet will be rather low in Ara and Pavo at the time, it may reach 6th magnitude when brightest in late December through early January 2023. PanSTARRS disappears in twilight during September for northern viewers, but Southern Hemisphere skywatchers will be able to follow it through its December 7th perihelion and beyond. On July 15th, it passes ½° northwest of the bright globular cluster M10. Expect the comet to reach magnitude 8 to 8.5 during convenient observing hours in June and July. Come May, it will loop back west, gradually picking up speed and brightening while plunging across Ophiuchus. It's currently making a tight loop in western Aquila, traveling just 20′ east between March 31st and April 14th. 19, 2022 - 269 million kilometers (1.8 a.u.)Ĭlosest approach to Earth: J271 million kilometers (1.8 a.u.)ĭetails: K2 has been fairly static at magnitudes 11.5 to 12.0 for months. It should peak around magnitude 6 later this year for Southern Hemisphere skywatchers. Comet PanSTARRS (C/2017 K2) Discovered almost five years ago, Comet PanSTARRS (C/2017 K2) finally comes into its own this summer, brightening to 8th magnitude by mid-June. Like Comet Lemmon-PanSTARRS it responds well to a Swan band filter. It topped out around magnitude 9.5 in February but has since faded to around 11th magnitude. ATLAS peaked at about magnitude 9.0 more than a month ago, but despite its considerable distance from Earth, it remains bright at magnitude 10 with a 2′-wide dense coma and short, faint tail pointing northeast.Ĭomet 104P/Kowal has been a relatively bright but diffuse object over the past several months. I've tracked this small, tadpole-shaped comet all winter as it slowly wriggled across Gemini. 104P/Kowal, at magnitude 11, is less condensed and dimming more quickly.Ĭomet ATLAS on Jan. ATLAS remains in good view through early June while fading from 10th to 12th magnitude. 19P/BorrellyĬomets 104P/Kowal and ATLAS (C/2019 元) share the same nook of sky at the end of March and early April. Now it's time to meet our celebrity cast. ![]() In 2019, Crimean amateur Gennady Borisov discovered the first rogue interstellar comet, 2I/Borisov. Hideo Nishimura of Japan found Comet Nishimura (C/2021 O1) last July in exposures he made with his Canon digital camera. Several times a year, amateur astronomers beat the robotic odds and uncover new comets that bear their own names. Robotic surveys such as PanSTARRS, the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), and the ATLAS Project discover an additional 40 to 50 objects yearly. The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) alone bags more than 200 per annum, many found by amateurs who study the publicly available images. Of course, many new discoveries are made each year, some of which make fine telescopic or even naked-eye appearances. I've included all objects expected to reach magnitude 11.5 or brighter that are visible outside of bright twilight. While 2022 has its share of comets, only a few are expected to reach magnitude 8 or brighter and become fair game for smaller telescopes and binoculars. The comet is relatively bright but low in the west at dusk. And speaking of satellites, the International Space Station enters spans of full illumination near either solstice, with sighting opportunities favoring the northern hemisphere in June, and the southern hemisphere in December.Comet Lemmon-Panstarrs shows a hint of an eastward-pointing tail on March 24, 2022. The equinoxes also mark the start of geostationary satellite flare and eclipse season, as the distant satellites rise briefly into naked eye visibility, only to be extinguished as they hit the Earth’s shadow. In 2022, aurorae in general should become more frequent, as Solar Cycle 25 intensifies. Either equinox in September and March are good times to watch for peaks in auroral activity, via a phenomenon known as the Russell-McPherron effect. The biannual solstices and equinoxes mark the start of the astronomical seasons. November 8th: a total lunar eclipse (totality is also 1 hour and 25 minutes in duration) favoring Asia, Australia, the Pacific and the Americas. October 25th: an 86% partial solar eclipse favoring Europe, NE Africa, the Middle East and western Asia. ![]() May 16 th: a total lunar eclipse (totality is 1 hour and 25 minutes in duration) favoring the Americas, Europe and Africa. April 30 th: a 64% partial solar eclipse favoring the SE Pacific and southern South America.
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