Comet Hartley 2 might brighten to binocular object by late September 2010
You might be able to see Comet Hartley 2 with binoculars by late September 2010. You might see it with the eye alone in October 2010. To find it, first learn the constellation Cassiopeia.
Comet Hartley 2 – possibly 2010’s brightest comet – might become bright enough to see with binoculars by late September. It could possibly become faintly visible to the unaided eye in October.
To find the comet, first find the easy-to-spot constellation Cassiopeia the Queen. This comet will sweep next to Cassiopeia in late September and the first week of October 2010. Cassiopeia is a W or M-shaped star pattern that will serve as your guide to what might well become the brightest comet this year.
Bright star in September 2010? Might be the planet Jupiter.
Cassiopeia always appears in the northeastern sky at nightfall on September and October evenings. It swings high in the northern sky (above Polaris, the North Star) in the wee hours after midnight in September and October. Then, as night progresses toward dawn, you’ll find Cassiopeia in the northwestern sky before dawn. Cassiopeia is easy to see. Just look in the locations mentioned above for a W or M-shaped star pattern. Or … use the Big Dipper to find Cassiopeia.
How to find Comet Hartley 2 with binoculars
Around the night of October 7, look for Comet Hartley 2 near the very beautiful Double Cluster in Perseus. (Think photo opportunity!) The comet will travel within one degree of this famous cluster on October 7, but you should also look for Comet Hartley in the cluster’s vicinity on the nights of October 6, 8 and 9. It’s fun to mentally note how the comet changes position relative to the background stars from night to night. How can you find the Double Cluster? Star-hop to it by drawing an imaginary line downward through the stars Navi (Gamma Cassiopeiae) and Ruchbah (Delta Cassiopeiae). Even in moderately light-polluted skies, the Double Cluster is fairly easy to make out with binoculars. It’s faintly visible to the unaided eye on a dark, moonless night.
More about the Double Cluster in Perseus: Two star clusters
After October 10, finding the comet gets tricky, because the moon will be returning to the evening sky. The moon’s glare will make the comet harder to see. It will probably be best to observe Comet Hartley 2 after moonset from October 11 to October 20. In the near future, we will feature another article on how to view Comet Hartley 2 in this part of October.
What will the comet look like?
The brightness and appearance of any comet doesn’t necessarily follow an ironclad forecast, so don’t be too surprised if Comet Hartley exceeds or falls shy of expectation. That’s why the element of suspense always accompanies the return of a comet to Earth’s sky. Comet Hartley 2 may only look like a faint, fuzzy star. Or it may exhibit a discernable tail. Only time will tell.
In the meantime, make friends with Cassiopeia, your tour guide to Comet Hartley 2. The trick to comet hunting is to know right where to look for its place in the starry sky. If all goes well, Comet Hartley 2 will become a binocular object in late September and reach naked-eye visibility in October.
