Many of us are still licking our wounds after Comet ISON. It is with some hesitation that we tell you about Comet Catalina. This comet will be visible in the Northern hemisphere as a pre-dawn object in late November and should get brighter and easier to find through the month of December. It is expected to be naked eye (between 4.5 and 6 magnitude) at dark sky sites, but will be a tough object to see from most suburbs and cities. Never-the-less, it is one comet where we can guarantee that inexperienced observers can see it with a pair of binoculars.
Through a pair of 7 x 50 or 7 x 35 binoculars it is easily seen on December 31st through January 2nd. If you can teach your audiences how to find the star Arcturus, you can teach them to find the comet, since it passes very near the star on the above dates. Please see attached illustration. All planetarians know how to use the Big Dipper’s handle to arc over to Arcturus, so this is a chance to show your audiences a comet. All they need is a pair of binoculars. Even more interesting is that the path of the comet during the first two weeks of January follows the arc.
The secret to success here is to set your audience’s expectations correctly. All they may see is a little smudge-ball next to Arcturus, but that for many this will be their very first comet. To load C/2013 US10 – Comet Catalina, simply use the “add object” function and enter the data supplied in the attached comet data screen. Most of you should know how to change the comet parameters to adjust the comet’s visibility in your Mediaglobe skies.
