Calling all stargazers! Break out the binoculars and dust off your telescopes, this weekend is your best opportunity to sneak a glimpse of the Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks before it moves out of our view.
Affectionately known as the "devil comet", thanks to its horseshoe-like appearance, Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks will be at its perihelion, or closest point to the sun, this Sunday, April 21.
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is not exceptionally bright, even at its near-peak brightness, so sky conditions are going to be key to maximal viewing. Saturday evening is expected to be mostly clear, while Sunday looks partly to mostly cloudy.
Even with the best sky conditions, Comet 12P/Pons-Books will be hard to see with the naked eye; binoculars or telescopes improve your experience. But even then, a viewing site with little to no light pollution is optimal.
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One unavoidable source of light, however, is April's nearly full moon. It won't be quite full this weekend, but comet hopefuls will still have a large, luminous, gibbous moon brightening up the dark skies, making it difficult to see the vastly dimmer comet.
Both Saturday and Sunday evening will be breezy with temperatures in the mid-50s, so you will want to at least grab the hooded sweatshirt before heading to your perfect viewing spot. You'll want to look to the western sky, just above the horizon, between sunset and 9 p.m. Frequent stargazers will note that this is not far from Jupiter. So if you can find Jupiter, look just to its west, near the Taurus constellation, and that is where you will find Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks.
Whether you're a stargazing veteran or just a rookie, if you get the chance, it might be worth your time to take a look and see if you can spot the comet. If not, there's always next time it comes around. See you in 2095!
