Want to see a newly discovered comet? You may be able to see SWAN streak across sky
There’s a new comet in town and scientists hope it could become visible to the naked eye in the next couple weeks.
Amateur astronomer Michael Mattiazzo first spotted Comet SWAN in April thanks to data from an instrument called Solar Wind Anisotropies, better known as SWAN, NASA reported.
The comet is releasing large amounts of water — which is made of hydrogen and oxygen — making it visible to the instrument, according to NASA.
The SWAN instrument has been used to discover 12 comets since 1995, Mattiazzo having discovered eight of them, NASA reported.
Viewing Comet SWAN
Will you be able to see it with the naked eye?
Experts say it’s complicated.
The comet reached its closest point to Earth — 51 million miles — on May 12 and 13, EarthSky reported. It’s now on its trajectory toward the sun, expected to reach perihelion, it’s closest point, on May 27, according to the outlet.
As comets get closer to the sun, they increase in brightness as heat from the star makes them burn, Inverse reported. However, the sun’s gravity can cause them to break apart.
Such was the case with Comet ATLAS.
Last month, many hoped a bright comet called ATLAS would become visible to the naked eye, but it broke up as it approached the sun, the European Space Agency said in a news release.
The fate of Comet ATLAS has some skeptical that Comet SWAN will become visible to the naked eye.
“I’m feeling a little less excited about Comet SWAN,” astrophysicist Jackie Faherty told Forbes. “It swept in just after Comet Atlas fizzled, something comets are notorious for. They tease you into thinking they’re going to put on a beautiful, bright spectacular show, then they fizzle out before they become visible to the naked eye.”
Viewing with binoculars
The comet is currently observable with “good binoculars” in the Northern Hemisphere for a short window of time just before the sun rises, EarthSky reported. It can be seen on the northeastern horizon.
Your best chance at catching a glimpse through binoculars is May 18 an hour before before sunrise about 10 degrees above the horizon in the constellation Perseus, Forbes reported.
You could also get glimpses the next few mornings if the comet doesn’t break up, as “it’s still the case that this week is the best time to see a comet from the northern hemisphere in years,” according to the outlet.
A number of veteran sky observers have caught mesmerizing photos of Comet SWAN.
But don’t get too excited.
“Some of the pictures of it that has been showing up on the internet are spectacular, and are definitely a tease that’s getting us excited about what it could be, but if you look at the light curves it looks like Comet SWAN might be dimming,” Faherty told Forbes.
Others, however, say Comet SWAN could still have a chance at becoming visible to the naked eye.
The comet is releasing about 1.3 metric tons of water per second — and that’s a lot, NASA reported. The more water a comet releases, the better chance we have of seeing it because there’s more material for the sun to reflect off of, Inverse reported. Assuming, of course, that it doesn’t break up first.
If you’re hoping Comet SWAN can keep it together, NASA is right there with you.
“Though it can be very difficult to predict the behavior of comets that make such close approaches to the sun, scientists are hopeful that Comet SWAN will remain bright enough to be seen as it continues its journey,” the agency said in the release.
This story was originally published May 17, 2020 at 1:04 PM with the headline "Want to see a newly discovered comet? You may be able to see SWAN streak across sky."