Czechs can observe comet 12P/Pons-Brooks in the night sky. Seeing them once every 71 years is a unique opportunity. Due to its frequent outbursts, it is possible to see it with the naked eye. The chance will last until mid-April.
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks will brighten up the Czech sky until about mid-April. “It can be observed with small telescopes, such as binoculars. It is known from the history of observations that it often explodes, so it is not excluded that it will become so bright that it could be seen with the naked eye,” informed the Astronomical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.
“The best conditions for observing the comet will be in the next one and a half months,” specified the Physics Institute in Opava. It should be visible above the western horizon, but you will need a map to find it in the sky.
According to the Teplice observatory, it appears in the sky once every 71 years. Its observation is therefore a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “It belongs to the group of so-called Halley-type comets, i.e. bodies with an orbital period between 20 and 200 years,” the observatory described.
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks over eastern Slovakia | Source: With the permission of Petr Horálek/FÚ in Opava
”Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks was discovered telescopically on July 12, 1812 by the French astronomer Jean-Louis Pons,” said the Opava Institute. But according to him, it was probably observed by Chinese astronomers already in 1313, or even 245. However, there is no evidence for the oldest observation, scientists only assume it.
We will enjoy watching the sky this year. Comet, eclipse and meteor showers await us (1/2024):
TN.cz
2024-03-06 09:48:00
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