Have you seen comet 12P/Pons-Brooks?
A new comet is in town that could brighten to become visible to the naked eye, but only those away from light pollution will get any chance to see it.
As luck would have it, many Americans will be under dark skies this month as they travel into rural parts of the path of totality in an effort to see April 8’s total solar eclipse.
How To See The ‘Devil Comet’
12P/Pons-Brooks is a good comet—but it’s not a “great comet.” For that, a comet needs to be visible to the naked eye easily. That’s not the case for 12P/Pons-Brooks, which is magnitude +4.7. That’s right on the cusp, meaning binoculars or a small telescope are going to be the far easiest ways of glimpsing it.
Where To See The ‘Devil Comet’
12P/Pons-Brooks is hanging out in the constellations of Pisces and Aries in late March and April.
They’re visible in the western sky right after sunset. Unfortunately, that means they sink under the horizon within a few hours of sunset, meaning 12P/Pons-Brooks is a brief post-sunset sight
