Comet McNaught (C/2009 R1) is one of 54 comets discovered by Robert McNaught at Australia's Siding Spring Observatory while conducting a NASA funded search for potentially dangerous near Earth objects. This particular comet, discovered in September 2009, will not come close enough to Earth to present even a potential hazard.
Comet McNaught will however be visible to northern hemisphere observers just before dawn during June 2010. The original brightness predictions suggested that Comet McNaught would be visible only with binoculars or a small telescope.
Recently Comet McNaught has unexpectedly brightened so that it is visible to the naked eye from dark skies. Through June 2010, Comet McNaught will probably continue to brighten in the predawn skies.
Predicting how bright comets will get is notoriously difficult, and comets often defy astronomers' predictions. Because this is Comet McNaught's first orbit close to the Sun from the Oort comet cloud, the predictions are even more difficult than usual. Stargazers will need to get up before dawn to see how bright Comet McNaught becomes.
As of this writing, on June 10, 2010, Comet McNaught is moving from the constellation Andromeda into the constellation Perseus. On June 13, Comet McNaught will be between the two brightest stars in the constellation Perseus. By June 21, Comet McNaught will pass very close to Capella, the brightest star in the constellation Auriga.
Stargazers who want to observe Comet McNaught should get up an hour or two before dawn, go to a dark sky location, and look in the northeast sky in the direction of the constellation Perseus. Stargazers unfamiliar with the constellation Perseus should look low in the northeastern sky a little before dawn during the latter part of June 2010.
If Comet McNaught continues to brighten, it will be well worth rising early.
Comments
i have seen it, at 10:30 P.M i was flying at FL 400 and it was the most beautifull thing i have ever seen it in my life. i ve been flying for 6 years and the captin who was with me had been flying for 25 years and we both really had never seen something as beautifull as this.
How big and brightened it might become by September 2010?
that sucker's gonna hit us. them there mayans weren't messing around. they knew something was up, and they blew town with Ra and the boys, heading out to some far away and safe place. BOOM BIG BADA BOOM
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