State:

Community:
Metro   City


Comet PanSTARRS

Thank You! Your rating has been saved.

Bays Mountain Astronomy Club to host CometWatch observing sessions mid-March 2013!

The BMAC is excited to provide five special viewings for Comet PanSTARRS this March. There is already the StarWatch viewing sessions each Saturday night in March and April. But, with the addition of two more sessions on March 13 & 20, there will be a total of five viewings dedicated to the comet. The viewings are free and all are welcome.

The key observing sessions and start times offered for the comet are:

Mar. 9; 6:30 p.m.

Mar. 13; 7:30 p.m.

Mar. 16; 7:30 p.m.

Mar. 20; 7:30 p.m.

Mar. 23; 7:30 p.m.

If the weather is fully cloudy or raining on the CometWatch dates (13 & 20), then that session is cancelled.

Comet PanSTARRS was discovered back in June, 2011 by Pan-STARRS (the Panoramic Survey Telescope & Rapid Response System from the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy) that looks for potential earth-crossing asteroids and comets. This comet will not hit earth, but it may be quite a sight on our western horizon just after sunset. The best viewings will start at the beginning of the second week of March. Our first viewing will be on March 9. The comet head, or nucleus, may be as bright as the brighter stars in the night sky. The comet's tail could stretch out 5-10 degrees. But, as with any comet, it could fizzle before we get a chance to see it and only be a telescopic object. This is a new comet for the inner Solar System and there is much speculation as to how it will perform. The joy of comet viewing is when it produces well and doesn't "Pan" out!



Explore Related Categories


Details and Specs

Event Date: Mar 09, 2013 06:30 PM - Mar 23, 2013 10:00 PM
Hours of Operation: Not Listed
Notes: None Listed

Reviews

Be the first to add a review for this item.


Please write a review for this item

Send a Message