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November 16, 2013
Comet ISON Becoming Visible
Comet ISON is visible to the naked eye in the eastern sky very early in the morning. Here are some instructions on where to look: "Next Monday morning (Nov. 18), ISON will be passing close to the bright 1st magnitude star Spica in Virgo. Using the handle of the Big Dipper, sweep an arc to the brilliant orange star Arcturus. Then continue that arc on to Spica. Using binoculars, ISON should still be readily be visible as a fuzzy star with a short tail."
Arcturus should be easy to spot. It's very bright. If you've got a clear view to a low eastern horizon (that is, not the mountains east of Desert Hot Springs) you should also be able to see Mercury closer to the horizon than the comet. This is when that star app on your smart device will help you a lot.
The comet is moving quickly and will reach its closest point to the sun on November 29.
Filed under Science | permalink | November 16, 2013 at 09:07 PM
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