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# Posted: 28 Feb 2006 02:54
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Comet Pajmansk - Viewing guide
During the next couple of weeks skywatchers will be turning their attention to a newly discovered comet that has just swept past the Sun and will soon cruise past Earth on its way back out toward the depths of the outer solar system.
Astronomers, who attempt to forecast the future characteristics and behavior of these cosmic vagabonds, have found this new object to be a better-than-average performer.
The comet is now visible with a simple pair of binoculars, and it's also dimly visible to the naked eye if you know precisely where to look.
Luckily we can use the planet Venus as a rough guide for where to Look. Venus will easily be the brightest object in the sky, you really cannot miss it. This is the exact position on the 28th of Feb. But, a scan around this general area on following mornings should allow you to see it as it moves.
What to look out for
In the early morning sky it can be readily picked up in binoculars looking like a small, circular patch of light with a bluish-white hue and an almost star-like center.
The comet will passing closest to Earth on March 5, when it be 71.7 million miles (115.4 million kilometers) away.
In small telescopes the comet's gaseous head or "coma" should appear roughly 1/6 of the Moon's apparent diameter as seen from Earth (an actual linear diameter of 209,000 miles or 335,000 kilometers). It will also likely display a short, faint narrow tail composed chiefly of ionized gases.
Well-known comet expert, John E. Bortle of Stormville, New York compares the view of Comet Pojmanski to that of an "apple on a stick; typical of dust-poor comets."
After March 5, the comet will be receding from both the Sun and Earth and rapidly fade as it heads back out into space, beyond the limits of the outer solar system.
See the comet through a telescopefor yourself.
The best bet to see this comet is to get along to an Astronomical Society in your local area. It is sure to have one. I can assure you members will be more than happy to let you use their telescopes during a iewing evening.
here's some links for UK and U.S societies.
U.K :
http://www.fedastro.org.uk/
A few In the U.S can be found here.
http://www.cv.nrao.edu/fits/www/yp_society.html
Remember your local library is a great place to start looking up your local group. Also Google is your friend here.
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