Devil’s Comet: Where, when and how to observe the event this Friday March 22?

From Friday March 22, the “Devil’s comet” – the “explosion” on its surface causes the ejection of gas and gives it a “horned” shape – it is nicknamed because of its appearance – it is its big return to our sky, which takes place. Every 71 years. A rare boon for amateur and professional astronomers! Observable for 15 days, here’s how to take advantage of it.

Visible in the north-west

Visible until April 21 when it will be closest to the Sun, the comet may be too bright to the naked eye in early April, presenting a slightly bluish appearance. However, make no mistake, it is not possible to see it moving – unlike satellites crossing the sky. So it will be a matter of finding the fixed light. To see it, it is best to arm yourself with a pair of binoculars or a telescope.

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What is the soon-to-be-seen “Devil’s Comet” and how can we observe it?

The star will appear just above Pisces one hour after sunset. In the sky, this point is in the west, turning slightly to the north. To get your bearings, the Stellarium app allows you to find the stars relative to your location.

However, its position, quite low on the horizon, requires a very clear space to view it and as far away from light pollution as possible, Numerama suggests. On the other hand, the full moon, which is very bright, threatens to spoil the star’s visibility on March 25.

Depending on weather conditions

To observe it, weather conditions should be favorable. Some sites like MeteoBlue have created a specific section to easily check visibility, possible cloud levels, wind, current phase of the moon and even visible planets on a given day.

A distant comet

Comets are made up of celestial bodies Ice, frozen gases, rocks and dust. At the end of April, the star, which has a diameter of 30 kilometers, will again go outside the solar system. It must be said that the comet comes from the Oort Cloud, which is located between 30,000 and 100,000 astronomical units (between 30,000 and 100,000 times the Earth-Sun distance). To see him, you have to be patient as his next return is announced for 2095.