Bright New Comet Promises Skywatching Treat in 2013

By Joe Rao, SPACE.com Skywatching Columnist
March 30, 2012

Discovery image of the newfound comet C/2011 L4
(PANSTARRS), taken by Hawaii's Pan-STARRS 1 telescope.

CREDIT: Institute for Astronomy/University of Hawaii/Pan-
STARRS

A year from now, it is possible that "comet fever" will
be running high when a newfound comet emerges into view
in the evening sky. But while some scientists have high
hopes for a spectacular 2013 sky show by the comet, it is
still far from certain.

When astronomers at the University of Hawaii at Manoa
announced last June that they had discovered the new
comet, it was a distant and inconspicuous object. But
preliminary calculations at once made it clear that this
new object had the potential to become a naked-eye object
of considerable interest for skywatching enthusiasts in
the Northern Hemisphere. The comet may ultimately shine
as bright as some of the brightest stars in the night
sky, but will likely pale in comparison to the brilliant
planet Venus.

The comet was christened C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS). Comets
are usually named after their discoverers, but in this
case a large team of observers, computer scientists, and
astronomers was involved, so the comet was named after
the telescope.

Continues he

http://www.space.com/15108-comet-pan...down-2013.html

Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti