This comet is about to become visible to us: here's how to observe it properly

To your binoculars! Some time ago, the sky was decorated with a new bright spot. This light is emitted from 12b/ponce brooksGuilty returns Every 71 years Say hello (from afar).

The best time to watch it is Until mid-March. “The week from March 11 to 17 will be very good, but as of the end of this week with the new moon, the conditions can be met,” he explains. actu.fr Nicholas Beaver, Chairman of the Comet Commission Astronomical Society of France (SAF) and an astrophysicist at the Paris Observatory.

It will be possible to observe 12P/Pons-Brooks again at the end of March, until the end of April, “but it is not confirmed yet.”

Where are you looking forward to seeing 12P/Pons-Brooks?

To be almost certain you'll see the comet this weekend and next, you have to be Equipped with binoculars “The minimum diameter is 40 to 50 mm,” notes the head of the SAF comet committee.

As with all events taking place above our heads, you must first be patient and choose your location carefully. Ideally, A place free of any light pollution.

Above all, keep your eyes in the right place: Towards the northwest. “At about 8 degrees Celsius below the Andromeda Galaxy,” Nicholas Peiffer specifies.

Comet 'could hold surprises'

Unfortunately, “2024 is not a very good time for observations. “The next thing won’t be like that,” the specialist fumes. In fact, it is not on the right side of the Sun. “If it had arrived four months earlier, it would have been wonderful,” he laments.

But who knows? This comet, which is approximately the size of Halley's Comet, is… Its radius is more than 5 km“He gets used to the explosions.”

What is an explosion, anyway? To make it as simple and schematic as possible, it is an event that makes an object brighter, and can last a few days. But whoever says “brighter” also says “clearer,” and therefore “no need for binoculars.”

Even if nothing is certain, “it is very likely that 12B/Bons-Brooks will rise in the coming days,” says Nicola Biver mischievously. All the more reason to keep an eye on it…

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