July Night Sky

Tonight heralds a New Moon which means that a dark sky is on tap.

For those of us in the northern hemisphere a recently discovered comet can be found high in the sky in the constellation Ursa Minor (the Little Dipper).

Comet C/2023 E1 (ATLAS) was discovered in March of this year by the Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS).  Funded by NASA and operated by the University of Hawaii an array of four telescopes located in Hawaii, Chile and South Africa keep watch on the sky for near-earth objects that may present a threat to us earthlings.

The comet reached perihelion (closest to the sun) on July 1 and will reach its closest point to earth on August 18, but will have dimmed by then.  Don't expect a bright object with a tail as it will likely have the appearance of a greenish smudge.

The comet will reach its maximum brightness this evening and you should be able to view it with a telescope or a pair of binoculars.

It will be around for a while, and should offer some sky watching opportunities this summer.