Announcing Comet Catalina
Image Credit & Copyright:
Ian Sharp
Will Comet Catalina become visible to the unaided eye?
Given the unpredictability of comets, no one can say for sure, but it seems like a good bet.
The comet was discovered in 2013 by observations of the
Catalina Sky Survey.
Since then,
Comet C/2013 US10 (Catalina)
has steadily brightened and is currently brighter than 8th
magnitude, making it visible with binoculars and
long-duration camera images.
As the comet
further approaches the inner Solar System it will surely
continue to intensify,
possibly becoming a naked eye object sometime in October and
peaking sometime in late November.
The comet will reside primarily in the skies of the southern hemisphere until mid-December, at which time its highly inclined orbit will bring it quickly into northern skies.
Featured above,
Comet Catalina was imaged last week sporting a
green coma and
two growing tails.