What To See In The July Night Sky

It is not unusual for a comet to pass thru our solar system as it makes its way around the sun.  This month features an opportunity to view one with the aid of a telescope or binoculars.

The comet, names C/2017 K2 is believed to have been heading our direction for several million years having originated in the Oort Cloud - far beyond our solar system.  So far away that it takes as long as a month for light originating in that location to reach us. 

Comets become active when they get close enough to the sun to begin heating-up and discarding dust and gas in the form of a tail.  As a general rule a comet develops a tail as it approaches the orbit of Jupiter.  Not so with K2.  When it was discovered in 2017 this comet had already begun the process of heating-up and glowing  far beyond Jupiter at a distance not previously observed by astronomers.

Inasmuch as K2's closest brush with earth comes at a distance of 167 million miles if you score a clear dark sky you might just catch a glimpse of this bright, fuzzy object in the night sky.

Mapping tools can be found on the web at EarthSky.org and a livestream will be available at Virtual Telescope Project's website beginning July 14.