Last chance for good view of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks for 71 years
Thais can observe Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks on Sunday evening as it makes its closest approach to the sun for the last time during the comet’s current visit.
Observers can catch it shortly after dusk in the western sky until around 8pm Thailand time on Sunday, April 21. Missing this event means waiting until around until 2095, about 71 years from now, for another chance.
The National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT) said Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, which has been in the news since early March, now is entering a phase optimal for observation. On Sunday, it will make its closest approach to the sun at a distance of about 116 million kilometres.
There's a chance the comet will become significantly brighter before gradually receding from the sun, eventually fading to the point where it becomes unobservable.
Currently, Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is positioned between the constellations Taurus and Aries. It can be observed immediately after dusk in the western sky until around 8pm Thailand time before descending below the horizon.
According to the Comet Observers Database, the comet currently has an apparent magnitude of around 4.3, meaning it can be seen with the naked eye in a dark free of light pollution.
Observed with the naked eye, the comet may resemble a faint star in the sky, appearing hazy and less distinct compared with other stars. Using binoculars can enhance observation, making the comet's tail clearer. While images of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks often show a large, impressive tail in news reports, this may not be visible to the naked eye.
John Bortle, an American amateur astronomer specialising in comet observation, suggests that in the months leading up to its closest approach to the sun, the comet has experienced rapid increases in brightness (outbursts). Bortle believes that during its closest approach on Sunday, there may not be a significant outburst resulting in a rapid increase in brightness, but there might be a slight increase in brightness.
Therefore, this period may be the last opportunity to observe Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks. After its close approach to the sun, the comet will gradually move away, diminishing in brightness until it becomes unobservable.
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks will make another close approach to Earth and the sun in the year 2095, about 71 years from now.
