This April is going to be an exciting time for skywatchers. Not only is there a rare total solar eclipse to look forward to, but there\u2019s also the chance to view the dramatically named \u201cDevil Comet.\u201d Comet 12P\/Pons-Brooks visits the inner solar system just once every 71 years, making it a once-in-a-lifetime viewing event for most of us. It will make its closest approach to Earth in June, but it will be at its brightest and easiest to spot when it makes its closest approach to the sun on April 21. It should be visible any time from now through to early April, and your best change of viewing it is from a location with clear, dark skies. That does coincide with the date of the solar eclipse, on April 8, but it\u2019ll be difficult to pick out the comet during the eclipse itself. Instead, you\u2019ll be best off doing a cosmic doubleheader by enjoying the eclipse during the day, then going comet hunting that night. It\u2019ll be tough, but not impossible to see the comet with the naked eye, so if you\u2019re determined to spot it, you might want to get out a telescope or binoculars. \u201cDon\u2019t expect it to be dazzlingly bright \u2014 the kind of image you see in photographs. It\u2019s not going to be like that,\u201d said Dr Robert Massey, deputy executive director at the Royal Astronomical Society. \u201cThis is something that might just be visible to the naked eye \u2014 if you don\u2019t have a moon in the sky, if there\u2019s no light pollution, and if the weather is really clear, then you might stand a chance. But for most of us, we\u2019re going to need to pick up a pair of binoculars.\u201d This type of comet is known as a Devil Comet because it has a pointy, horn-shaped appearance. Comets have their distinctive tails because they contain ice, which melts and is released as gas as they approach the sun. This particular comet is a type called a cryovolcanic comet, which experiences eruptions of dust and gas from the buildup of pressure. These eruptions give the comet its horned appearance, and because it contains a molecule called diatomic carbon, it also glows green. If you would like to view the comet, the Royal Astronomy Society has a helpful guide: Massey also has advice for would-be skywatchers: \u201cIdeally, look at one of the apps you can get on your phone, showing you where things are in the sky, or a finder chart of some kind. That\u2019ll really help you to track it down. And when you see it, it\u2019s likely to look like a sort of small, grayish fuzz, quite typical for many comets. \u201cBut you will have the satisfaction of knowing you\u2019ve seen this once-in-a-lifetime object.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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