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Comet Machholz is now at its best, high in the evening sky! And over the first week of January there's no moonlight to interfere. The comet is a stunning objeect in binoculars, glowing at 4th magnitude pale green-gray. This week it's in Taurus west of Aldebaran, moving northward toward the Pleiades. It passes just 2° west of the Pleiades on the evening of January 7th (think photo opportunity!). See our article and finder chart in the January Sky & Telescope, page 84, or the version online. Machholz will continue to be an easy binocular target high in the evening sky all January, though moonlight will return from about the 15th to 27th. The comet is a little brighter than originally predicted, suggesting that it will peak at about magnitude 3.6 for the first half of January. But later in the month it will still be nearly as bright. The comet is fairly easily visible to the naked eye in a dark sky, and visible to the naked eye with greater difficulty (if at all) through moonlight or light pollution. Basically, if you can see the Andromeda Galaxy, you can certainly see Machholz. It's sure to be remembered as the highlight of this observing season! Related Links Sky and Telescope Comet Machholz at Heavens Above Space Weather SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express 
Deep Impact Arrives At KSC For December Launch
Pasadena CA (SPX) Oct 25, 2004NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft has arrived in Florida to begin final preparations for a launch on Dec. 30, 2004. The Deep Impact spacecraft is designed to launch a copper projectile into the surface of comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 133.6 million kilometers (83 million miles) from Earth. |
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