New comet could brighten the skies in May 2022

 

[wpdiscuz-feedback id=”v653ndl52z” question=”Are you ready to see a comet?” opened=”0″]Discovered back in July 2021, a comet is approaching our inner solar system and could possibly reach binocular visibility by late April and early May 2022.[/wpdiscuz-feedback]

Designated C/2021 O3 it is an Oort cloud comet that was discovered on 26 July 2021 by the Pan-STARRS sky survey.

It will come to perihelion on 21 April 2022 at 0.287 AU (42.9 million km). from the Sun. It might reach apparent magnitude 5-7 by late April 2022, but will only be 15 degrees from the Sun.[3][4] C/2021 O3 will make its closest approach to Earth on 8 May 2022 at a distance of 0.60 AU (90 million km).[5] As a dynamically new comet from the Oort cloud there is a high risk of disintegration.

C/2021 O3 probably took millions of years to arrive from the outer Oort cloud and may be ejected from the Solar System.

Check out this article: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/comet-c-2021-03-comets-2022/

https://tnc.network.com/science/

 

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Rod Washington

Rod is a blogger, writer, filmmaker, photographer, daydreamer who likes to cook. Rod produces and directs the web series, CUPIC: Diary of an Investigator. He is also the editor, producer and administrator of STM Daily News, a part of the TNC Network.