|
|
|
Comet Machholz |
|
|
|
Click here to enlarge photograph.
|
|
|
|
|
DESCRIPTION Comet Machholz made its closest approach to Earth on Jan. 5-6, 2005, when it was 32 million miles (51 million kilometers) away. When Machholz first picked up the comet – officially designated c/2004 Q2 – it was a fuzzy 11th-magnitude object in the constellation Eridanus and drifting slowly southeast in the direction of the constellation Lepus. On this astronomer's scale, larger numbers represent dimmer objects. Under the darkest skies, the typical observer can spot with the unaided eye objects of magnitude 6.5 and brighter. Constellation: - Distance: RA: - DEC: - Magnitude: - Apparent Size: |
|
 |
