January 01, 2005
Comet Macholz Naked Eye Visible
Finally! A celestial event that isn't at oh-dark thirty in the morning!
>Comet Macholz (C/2004 Q2) is best observed at between 9 and 10 pm, and is currently (Jan 1) near "the point" of the constellation Taurus. It is moving "upward" each night, and by Jan 6th, it will be level with and just right of The Pleides. Comet Macholz is visible to the naked eye as a faint, fuzzy green star. With a telescope or maybe good binoculars, you should see the short, thin ion tail pointed away from the sun, and maybe the diffuse dust tail on the side toward the sun. Of course, the tails are actually long, and both point away from the sun. It is our point of view that makes them appear otherwise.
Now all you need is clear sky...
Photo by Jimmy Westlake in Spaceweather.com