The best time to observe Comet Pons-Brooks has been announced: the evening of April 10

On Wednesday at 21.00 it will be “pointed out” by the Moon, Jupiter and Uranus

The best time to observe Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks will be on Wednesday evening, April 10. At 21.00 Moscow time, it will be very easy to find the tailed celestial wanderer, perhaps even with the naked eye, since at this time it will be in the same part of the sky next to the crescent of the waxing Moon, Jupiter and Uranus.

Comet Pons-Brooks has approached the Earth for the first time in 70 years, it is moving south through the constellation Aries and will be best visible on April 21, when it makes its closest approach to the Sun.

The comet has a double name: on July 12, 1812, it was discovered by the French astronomer Jean-Louis Ponsom, and in 1883, when it came to us again, 71 years later, it was discovered by the American astronomer William Brooks.

12P/Ponsa Brooks is a volcano comet with a diameter of 17 kilometers. Periodically, as it approaches the Sun, it ejects a mixture of ice and gas from its depths, which makes it convenient for observation from Earth. The plume has a greenish tint due to the radiation of diatomaceous carbon molecules.

Astronomers paid attention to this comet last summer, when the comet suddenly increased its brightness by about a hundred times, apparently due to another eruption, and changed its configuration, becoming “two-horned”, similar to the Millennium Falcon ship on which they traveled across the Galaxy Han Solo with Chewbacca from Star Wars.

Currently, the comet is still quite high above the horizon, but is gradually falling lower and lower.

On April 10, it passes very close to the Moon, Jupiter and Uranus in the constellation Aries. On April 12, they will be joined (above) by the bright Pleiades star cluster. And on April 21, the day of passage of perihelion – the point closest to the Sun, it will already be in the constellation Taurus. At this time, due to the bright molten core due to its proximity to the star, the comet can be clearly visible from Earth. However, it will be visible too low from the horizon – to observe it after April 21, you will need to travel outside the city so that the horizon is not obscured by multi-story buildings.

Comet Pons-Brooks will pass its closest distance from Earth on June 2, 2024, moving away from the Sun, and its visibility will be worse than in April.

According to the advice of astronomers, in April it is better to look for a comet in the western part of the sky using binoculars or a telescope in the constellation Aries. It goes beyond the horizon quite quickly, so you have to hurry.