Time is running out to discover Ponsbrooks, the devil-horned comet that appears once every 71 years. Last seen by people on Earth in the 1950s, the comet is prone to explosions and unexpected flares of brightness.
“This is an extraordinary comet,” said Elliot Herman, a retired bioengineer at the University of Arizona and an astrophotographer who has been tracking Pons-Brooks for months. “In addition to getting brighter as it approaches the sun, the comet is also changing significantly from day to day,” he said.
The comet, a ball of green ice, attracted public attention last July when it appeared to have grown horns after exploding in the dusty atmosphere. Some liken the comet's shape to the Millennium Falcon, the spaceship used by Han Solo and Chewbacca in the Star Wars series. The comet produced a series of explosions in the fall, including one on Halloween.
By December, Ponsbrooks was showing signs of tailing off. Its features became longer and more pronounced in early March as the comet moved closer to the Sun. Some hoped it would flare up bright enough to be seen during the total solar eclipse on April 8, but it was not visible to the naked eye during the event.
There are only a few days left until Comet Pons-Brooks reaches its closest point to the sun on April 21st. During this stage, known as perihelion, sunlight blocks the comet's view.
To see the comet, go outside at dusk and use binoculars or a telescope to look at the western horizon, said Bill Cook, an astronomer who heads NASA's Meteor Environment Office. Find Jupiter, the brightest object other than the moon in the night sky. Pons Brooks is on the bottom right.
However, don't expect to see the distinctive devil horns. “The horns are gone,” Dr. Cook said. “It looks a lot like the typical comet that people imagine.”
Within about a week, the comet will sink below the horizon and disappear into the northern sky. People in the Southern Hemisphere may be able to spot the comet through May, but it will appear quite faint.
Pons Brooks will then embark on a new journey around the sun, bidding farewell to stargazers on Earth for another 70 years.
