A hairy star

[Terry D]

The Greek root of the word comet means 'hairy star'. Here are a couple of shots of the transient visitor currently passing by our small world. The comet's official name is C/2011 L4 PanSTARRS.

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj259/Tdurbin51/4_zps836395b5.jpg?t=1363270437

Don't worry if you miss it, it will be back in 110,000 years.

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj259/Tdurbin51/3_zps100875b7.jpg?t=1363270452

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj259/Tdurbin51/1_zps7adf18bd.jpg?t=1363270459

[candid petunia]

Good shots, Terry. :)

I seem to have missed this sighting, oh well, will wait for the next...

[tepelus]

Nice. I didn't know about this comet either.

[Terry D]

It will still be visible low in the west just after sunset (45 minutes) for a few more days in the northern hemisphere. The photos make it look easy to see, but it is actually barely visible to the naked eye. Binoculars bring it out nicely. Here's a chart for mid-northern latitudes;

http://media.skyandtelescope.com/images/Comet-PanSTARRS_Mar-12-24_Vic-art341px.jpg