How to Spot Comet 46P/Wirtanen in the Sky Sunday (December 16th) Night!

Tonight, when looking up into the night sky, we'll be able to see one of the 10 closest approaches a comet has made to earth since the year was still being counted with three digits. While binoculars will make it easier to see, you don't necessarily need a telescope, and some of us may be able to see it unaided by lenses.

Preferably, you'll want to go somewhere especially dark and far from light pollution. It would be best if you ventured outside the city for this one. It doesn't need to be especially late either, just dark! This link has a way to find out where there is the least amount of light pollution near you. Make sure to give your eyes time to adjust to the darkness first before giving up!

This comet has been racing toward earth at a staggering 21,600 miles per hour. At it's closest distance to our blue planet, it will still be 7.1 million miles away from us - roughly 30 times the distance between the earth and the moon. So here's what we're looking for: we’ll be looking for a large, diffuse, dim object. Use this image as an example. We won't see the tail!

If you're a constellation buff, you'll be looking for the constellation "Taurus" to get your eyes close to where Wirtanen is located (there are some free apps online and available for download on smartphones for this). If you won't be using constellations for help, look towards the east first, and then gradually draw your gaze up until you're nearly looking straight up above. Here's an interactive sky chart to show where to look.

Now unfortunately, a dense fog advisory has been issued for the area. It's possible that fog may limit visibility in some spots, but mostly later at night more than in the earlier evening. Best of luck, skywatchers! If we can't spot this, hopefully we'll have better viewing conditions in a month when we have a lunar eclipse!