Visibility prospects: At its brightest, Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajduš ákov á will be passing through the constellation Hercules during closest approach on February 11 th. The path of Comet 45/P from mid-November through December 15th, 2016. The comet may break +10 th magnitude and become very briefly visible in the first few weeks of December before getting too close to the Sun to observe in late 2016 and crossing into the morning sky in early 2017. Image credit: The Skalnaté Pleso Observatory.Ĭurrently and through the end of 2016, the comet sits towards the center of the Milky Way Galaxy in Sagittarius at a faint +15 th magnitude in the evening sky. Slovak astronomer ?udmila Pajdušáková, co-discoverer of 5 comets, including Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdušáková. Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajduš ákov á is set to break binocular +10 th magnitude brightness in mid-December 2017, and may reach a maximum brightness of magnitude +7 from January through February 2017. Discovered independently by astronomers Minoru Honda, Antonin Mrkos and L’udmila Pajduš ákov á on December 3 rd, 1948, Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajduš ákov á orbits the Sun once every 5.25 years on a short period orbit. The swift path of Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdušáková on the nights of February 9th to February 12th. Image credit: Starry Night.Ĭomet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajduš ákov á is expected to reach maximum brightness around late February 2017. Looking for a good binocular comet? Well, if luck is on our side, we should be getting our first looks at periodic Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajduš ákov á as it tops +10th magnitude in dusk skies over the next few weeks.
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