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Time is running out until you can see Pons-Brooks, the devil-horned comet that appears once every 71 years. Last seen by people on Earth in the 1950s, the comet is prone to unexpected bursts or flares of brightness.
“It’s an exceptional comet,” said Eliot Herman, a retired University of Arizona biotechnologist and astrophotographer who has been following Pons-Brooks for several months. “Not only does it get brighter as it gets closer to the Sun, but the comet changes dramatically from day to day,” he said.
The comet, a ball of green ice, caught public attention last July when it appeared to have grown horns after an explosion through its dusty atmosphere. Some compared the shape of the comet to the Millennium Falcon spaceship that Han Solo and Chewbacca use in the Star Wars franchise. The comet had a series of additional explosions in the fall, including one on Halloween.
In December, Pons-Brooks had signs of tracking him down. That feature became longer and more prominent in early March as the comet approached the sun. Some expected it to shine bright enough to be seen during the April 8 total solar eclipse, but it was not visible to the naked eye during the event.
There are just a few days left to spot Pons-Brooks before it reaches its closest point to the sun on April 21. In that phase, known as perihelion, sunlight will block the view of the comet.
To see the comet, Bill Cooke, an astronomer who heads NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office, recommends going out at dusk and scanning the western horizon with binoculars or a telescope. He finds Jupiter, the brightest object in the night sky besides the moon. Pons-Brooks will be at the bottom right of it.
But don’t expect to see their characteristic devil horns. “The horns are gone,” Dr. Cooke said. “It looks more like the typical comet that people imagine.”
In about a week, the comet will dip below the horizon, lost in the northern sky. People in the southern hemisphere may be able to detect the comet as late as May, although it will appear much fainter.
After that, Pons-Brooks will say goodbye to stargazers on Earth for another seven decades as he embarks on another journey around our sun.
