Friday, March 15, 2013

How to find PanSTARRS


Between March 15 and March 18, the best times to spot Comet PanSTARRS are between 8:00 and 8:15 p.m. Any observing location having a relatively unobstructed low western horizon (yes, I know that is hard to find) away from bright lights should work. 

How high above the horizon will it be? Extend your arm and the width of your clinched fist is about 10 degrees. (Yes, taller people have longer arms, but they also have bigger fists, and smaller people have shorter arms and smaller fists. This makes the effective angular size of the clinched fist about the same for people of all heights.) The comet should be about 10 degrees (1 clinched fist) above the 0 degree horizon, and it will be slightly north of due west at 8:10 p.m.

By next Thursday March 21, the comet will likely be dimmer but slightly higher (1-1/4 "fists") in the sky and farther northward along the horizon, maybe 2 "fists" to the left of due west. The best time to see it then would be 8:10 to 8:20.

It is a lot easier to see through binoculars. (The angular field of view of typical binoculars is 5 to 6 degrees.) Remember, clear skies are needed. Haze greatly reduces its visibility.

Such is our view from Earth...



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