|
Credit & Copyright: Luc Perrot
(TWAN)
Explanation:
Near the eastern horizon before sunrise, Comet C/2025 R3
PanSTARRS is getting brighter.
Readily visible in binoculars and small telescopes,
the comet may be just on the verge of naked-eye visibility
from dark sky sites.
Though it was not quite apparent to the eye,
PanSTARRS
is still easy to spot in this camera image taken on April 16.
In the view
from a volcanic peak overlooking France's Reunion Island, planet Earth,
the comet shares eastern predawn skies with
naked-eye planets Mars and Mercury
and fainter Neptune.
Saturn is hiding behind the low cloudbank that doesn't quite hide
an old crescent Moon.
This is a good weekend
for northern hemisphere comet watchers to try to
catch PanSTARRS
an hour or so before sunrise,
as the comet grows brighter approaching its perihelion on
April 19.
On April 26 the comet makes its closest approach to our fair planet
but by then will be difficult to see in the solar glare.
Good views
of this comet PanSTARRS in late April and early May will be from
the southern hemisphere.
|
January February March April |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: comet
Publications with words: comet
See also:
- APOD: 2026 April 14 Á The Long Wispy Tail of Comet R3 (PanSTARRS)
- APOD: 2026 April 12 Á Comet R3 PanSTARRS Brightens
- APOD: 2026 February 17 Á Tails of Comet Wierzchoå
- APOD: 2025 December 30 Á An Artificial Comet
- 3I/ATLAS Flyby
- SWAN, Swan, Eagle
- APOD: 2025 October 6 Á The Changing Ion Tail of Comet Lemmon