GREENSBORO, N.C. — Have you ever seen a comet? It may be difficult, but there is at least a chance to spot it in the night sky this weekend. It's called "Comet 12P / Pons-Brooks", and it will be faintly visible if you know where to look.
Where and when to look
You'll want to keep an eye on the western sky, that's where sunset happens. Around 30 to 45 minutes after sunset, it will get dim enough that night stars will start to appear. Around that time, you want to look for Jupiter.
Jupiter is a bright planet and will appear as a solid white dot low on the horizon close to where the sun went down. Once you find Jupiter, you're going to want to look at little bit lower. Technically, you'll look about 3 degrees below Jupiter, which is roughly the size of two fingers if you hold out your hand in front of you.
Keep in mind that this comet is very small and not terribly bright. Even if you see it, it will appear as a fuzzy dot.
Things that will help you see it
It's not a guarantee that you'll see the comet just because you have a clear sky. Instead, you need to do a few things to increase your chances.
- Get away from city lights. A darker sky will increase the chances of you seeing the stars and comet.
- Find a clear view of the western horizon. Get away from trees if you can.
- Use binoculars or a telescope. It isn't easy to spot with the naked eye. Binoculars will really help.
There are some beautiful images of the comet on social media, but remember, these are professional photographers with great cameras exposing the image with more light. It won't appear this spectacular to the naked eye, but you can try to see it!
Jupiter - Uranus Conjunction
This weekend, Uranus is in conjunction with Jupiter for the first time in over a decade. Although you can't see the meeting of the two with the naked eye, you can see with binoculars looking west-westnorthwest shortly after sunset this Saturday, April 20th. The next time Jupiter and Uranus are aligned it will be in 2037.
