Approaching December comet may be visible to the naked eye

[Judi Lynn]

Anthony Wood
9 hours ago

The comet 46P/Wirtanen (46P) is set to make a close approach to Earth this weekend, and may even be bright enough to be seen by the naked eye. At its closest, 46P will pass a mere 7.2 million miles (11.7 million km) from our planet, making it the 10th closest comet encounter in the modern era.

Wandering comets are chunks of material that have remained relatively unchanged since the formation of our solar system. They represent valuable time capsules that essentially grant astronomers a window into the distant past.

The December comet is no different. The icy relic, which is estimated to measure a little over a kilometer in width, is thought to be made up of ancient rock, dust and frozen gasses. It orbits the Sun once every 5.5 years, and the 2018 pass is expected to be highly visible compared to the previous flyby in 2013 and the following pass in 2024.

46P was once set to be the focus of the historic Rosetta mission. The European Space Agency had planned to launch both probe and Philae lander in early 2003, which would have seen the robotic explorers rendezvous with 46P as it made its closest approach to the Sun in 2013.

More:
https://newatlas.com/december-comet-close-flyby/57683/