Comet PANSTARRS

2013-03-12 00:00:00
Comet PANSTARRS
For those of you that would like to observe the comet PANSTARRS (C/2011 L4), it will become visible tonight, right after sunset. The best days to observe the comet will be the nights of 12-13 of March, according to the Minor Bodies and Meteorites’ ICE (MBM) research group.

If you’d like to observe it, just look towards the west around the Sun’s path and once the Sun has gone down (but the sky is still not completely dark), you’ll be able to spot it close to the moon. On the night of March 12th, it will be towards the upper left corner of the crescent moon and on March 13th, it will be below it. The comet’s tail will be pointing in opposite direction from the Sun.

This map shows the approximate location of the comet in the sky the night of the 12 and 13th of March.

Comet PANSTARRS seen from Barcelona

The following link provide the ephemeris for the Montsec Astronomical Observatory (OAdM) location, provided by the MBM research group. Apparently, the best time to see it will be approximately 30 min after sunset.

– Ephemeris Comet PANSTARRS (pdf)

Enjoy it and if you see it and take pictures, send them throught email to the Science Communication and Public Outreach department (outreach@ieec.cat)

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