How to see comet C/2017 K2 is actually not difficult. Because, this comet is one of the giant ones.
Comet PanSTARRS, which belongs to the c/2017 K2 category, has just been detected moving towards the inner solar system.
That means, this comet will move closer to Earth. It is very likely that this giant comet will be seen in the sky.
However, how exactly do you see the appearance of this comet?
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Getting Closer to Earth, Here’s How to See Comet C/2017 K2!
Comet is a space object. They are often seen moving around the Sun.
This time scientists detected the presence of Comet C/2017 K2 or PanSTARRS, which was moving toward the inner solar system. This comet originated in the Oort cloud and is a potential mass of ice and rock.
As the name implies, this comet was first detected in 2017. At that time astronomers were using the Pan-STARRS sky survey instrument in Hawaii.
This comet is also known as the farthest active comet ever seen.
Because, usually a newly active comet will only be seen when they approach the Sun. However, C/2017 K2 was already seen to have a tail when it was still between the orbits of Saturn and Uranus.
Recently, astronomers noticed that comet C/2017 K2 was moving closer to Earth. Amateur astronomer, Ma’rufin Sudibyo said that this comet reached its closest distance to Earth on July 14, 2022.
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Can Be Seen With The Naked Eye?
This comet actually falls into the large-sized category. That’s why, many astronomers call it a giant comet.
If so, can this comet be visible in the sky without the help of any tools when it is near Earth? The answer is no.
Ma’rufin explained that comet C/2017 K2 or PanSTARRS has the closest distance of at least 270 million kilometers from Earth.
At that point, the comet still looks very dim. The estimated magnitude is only at number 9.
As a result, the way to see Comet C/2017 K2 is to use the help of a space telescope.
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Observations Through the Hubble Telescope
On initial observations from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope or CFH, the comet appears to have this diameter of about 30 to 160 kilometers.
However, recent observations with the Hubble Space Telescope show that comet C/2017 K2 is smaller, at 18 kilometers.
Seeing this, astronomers concluded that regardless of the actual size, the comet is still very large.
This can be seen from other indications that the comet has an atmosphere or coma. The comet’s atmosphere has a diameter of about 130,000 kilometers or 10 times the diameter of planet Earth.
Even so, the way to see comet C/2017 K2 still has to use the help of a space telescope because the light they emit is still too dim. (R10/HR-Online)
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