After gliding deep through the solar system for 69 years, the comet will appear in the sky close enough to be seen with binoculars or a small telescope.
The space rock Comet 13P/Olbers is currently located in the compact constellation Leo. space Fast. The closest one is Comet As of July 20, it was 176 million miles (283 million kilometers) from Earth.
the size 7.1 means it’s not visible to the naked eye, but skywatchers in the Northern Hemisphere can easily see it about two hours after sunset as a faint sphere about 20 to 30 degrees above the horizon. The Universe TodayIts altitude and brightness require a fairly unobstructed horizon and binoculars or a telescope. To see it pass close to the compact Leo galaxy NGC 3219, its position can be used as a reference for computer telescopes. EarthSky report.
Comet 13P/Olbers is named after the German astronomer Heinrich Olbers, who first discovered the space rock in 1815. The letter P means that Comet Olbers is a periodic comet, a designation given to space rocks whose orbits last less than 200 years. The number 13 means that it is the 13th comet cataloged as a periodic comet.
Comet Olbers was last seen from Earth in September 1956. After this summer, it will next make a close approach to Earth in 2094.
Related: How to make a comet
During its 69-year orbit around the Sun, the comet passes just outside the Earth’s orbit. Neptune And a little bit more than that. Earth, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Classification of Comet Olbers as a Near-Earth Comet asteroidHowever, there is no risk of it colliding with Earth.
If you want to take a closer look at comets like 13P/Olbers, The best telescope and The best binoculars.
Here are some tips if you want to photograph comets How to photograph a cometand guides The best cameras for astrophotography and The best lenses for astrophotography.
Editor’s note: If you’ve taken some great photos of 13P/Olbers this summer and would like to share them with Space.com readers, send your photos, comments, names and locations to [email protected].
