Posted on by David Dickinson

A Summer Comet: Our Guide to Observing X1 PanSTARRS

Comet X1 PanSTARRS
Comet C/2013 X1 PanSTARRS from early January 2016, shortly after a reported outburst. Image credit and copyright: Hisayoshi Kato.

Ready for one of the better binocular comets of 2016? Emerging from behind the Sun and a surprise outburst in January, Comet C/2013 X1 PanSTARRS is about to put on its summer show. The waning crescent Moon just crossed paths with the comet in the dawn sky on its way to New on May 6th, and the time to start tracking it is now as it plunges southward across the ecliptic this weekend. Continue reading “A Summer Comet: Our Guide to Observing X1 PanSTARRS”