On March 9, a comet will be visible for all places in the Northern Hemisphere including the Philippines. The comet is named Pan-STARRS and will show up in the western part of the sky just after sunset starting March 9 up to March 16.
The comet will dazzle stargazers with its fan-shaped tail. However, it might be difficult to observe this due to the bright moon.
To get the best of comet Pan-STARRS, look for a clear sky and a dark place to observe from. Light from cars, houses and streetlights will lessen the beauty of the comet.
It is predicted that the comet will brighten up to an apparent magnitude of 0, the same as the star Vega.
A Little Background of Comet Pan-STARRS
The comet was named after the Panoramic Survey Telescope & Rapid Response System at the University of Hawaii that discovered it in June 2011.
It is a baby comet not older than 4 comet years. It is a non-periodic comet which means we cannot predict when or if it will ever come back.
The Next Comet Could Be as Bright as the Moon!
That’s right. There is a comet on its way to the sun that might become as bright as the moon and can be seen during the day.
Last September 2012, comet ISON was discovered and will approach the sun on November 2013 at four times closer to the sun than comet Pan-STARRS. If it survives the encounter, we will hail comet ISON as the comet of the century.
If it does not survive, it could break up and that will be an awesome treat!
