R.I.P. Scout26
The Northern Hemisphere has great seats from now right up until the comet reaches perihelion on May 31, when ATLAS makes its closest approach to the Sun and performs a sharp turn around our star. Observers from 40 to 60 degrees north latitude are close to the stage, with those from 50 to 55 degrees north getting front-row seats. Equatorial and southern locations get one decent week starting May 28, but then Y4 stays low and fades quickly into the distance, like an object viewed out the back window of a fast-moving car.By mid- to late April, which includes the New Moon on April 22, ATLAS is already large and diffuse for its distance. Note that reported magnitudes are integrated, which essentially crunches all its light into a point, rather than spreading it out between the coma and tails. Magnitude 2 is easy for the unaided eye, but from the city a big halo will be invisible through the light pollution. Streaking halfway between Polaris and brilliant Capella, Y4 might resemble a lopsided Andromeda Galaxy
Well, if it doesn't hit, maybe it will at least release a space virus when it passes, which will then mergwe with and mutate the beer virus and we'll finally get zombies. I've got all this ammo sitting around...
"As comets travel closer to the Sun, they increase in brightness as the heat from the star causes them to burn."Uhm... No. Just NO. That's not how a comet freaking works. And I came across something on the web this morning that said the nucleus of Atlas is larger than 3 Jupiters... Jesus wept... where do people get their freaking information?
CNN
