Post by kriss on Apr 4, 2024 11:21:32 GMT -5
Once in a lifetime comet dubbed “Mother of Dragons” will precede solar eclipse
Before Monday’s solar eclipse happens, eagle eyed skygazers will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see a rare green comet, dubbed the ‘Mother of Dragons’, in the night’s sky.
According to astronomers, Comet 12P/Pons–Brooks is viewable at night from the northern hemisphere in early April.
Larger than Mount Everest, it should appear as a green blob with a hazy tail as it makes its first visit to the inner solar system in 71 years.
To see Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, look westwards in the night’s sky and find the constellation of stars known as Aries the Ram, which forms a loose V-shape.
Over the next few weeks it will keep moving west towards Orion, the constellation that looks like the great mythical hunter.
‘The comet can now be found in the constellation of Aries which is visible in the early evening, over in the west,’ Gregory Brown, astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, told MailOnline.
‘It will only become visible after twilight and sets by around 10pm BST.
‘While it may be possible to see with the unaided eye, it is best to try and observe with a pair of binoculars or a small telescope.’
At the moment, it is getting progressively closer to the sun and the Earth as it’s pulled by the gravity of our star.
On April 21, it will come as close as 72.5 million miles (116.8 million km) to the sun, while a close approach with Earth of 144 million miles (232 million km) will happen on June 2.
But by this time it will be too late to view in the northern hemisphere, according to Jessica Lee, astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich.
‘From June onwards, after the comet has passed the sun, it will only be visible to observers in the southern hemisphere,’ she told MailOnline.
‘It will grow fainter and fainter again as it travels towards the outer solar system and won’t approach the Earth again until 2095.’
endtimeheadlines.org/2024/04/once-in-a-lifetime-comet-dubbed-mother-of-dragons-will-precede-solar-eclipse/
Before Monday’s solar eclipse happens, eagle eyed skygazers will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see a rare green comet, dubbed the ‘Mother of Dragons’, in the night’s sky.
According to astronomers, Comet 12P/Pons–Brooks is viewable at night from the northern hemisphere in early April.
Larger than Mount Everest, it should appear as a green blob with a hazy tail as it makes its first visit to the inner solar system in 71 years.
To see Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, look westwards in the night’s sky and find the constellation of stars known as Aries the Ram, which forms a loose V-shape.
Over the next few weeks it will keep moving west towards Orion, the constellation that looks like the great mythical hunter.
‘The comet can now be found in the constellation of Aries which is visible in the early evening, over in the west,’ Gregory Brown, astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, told MailOnline.
‘It will only become visible after twilight and sets by around 10pm BST.
‘While it may be possible to see with the unaided eye, it is best to try and observe with a pair of binoculars or a small telescope.’
At the moment, it is getting progressively closer to the sun and the Earth as it’s pulled by the gravity of our star.
On April 21, it will come as close as 72.5 million miles (116.8 million km) to the sun, while a close approach with Earth of 144 million miles (232 million km) will happen on June 2.
But by this time it will be too late to view in the northern hemisphere, according to Jessica Lee, astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich.
‘From June onwards, after the comet has passed the sun, it will only be visible to observers in the southern hemisphere,’ she told MailOnline.
‘It will grow fainter and fainter again as it travels towards the outer solar system and won’t approach the Earth again until 2095.’
endtimeheadlines.org/2024/04/once-in-a-lifetime-comet-dubbed-mother-of-dragons-will-precede-solar-eclipse/
