It will be a unique opportunity. Or rather, almost unique. If you miss Comet 13P/Olbers' close pass by Earth this weekend, you'll get to see it again… in 69 years.
According to the Valongo Observatory, at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), if you have binoculars you will be able to see the comet early Saturday evening (6), in the direction of the constellation Lens.
But this is affected by location. In Brazil, the best places to see the star are the northern and northeastern regions. Another important point is light pollution. Urban centers with a lot of light tend to make observation difficult.
To find out what the comet will look like where you live, enter your location in Page 13P/Olbers On Sky Live.
The comet was discovered in March 1815 by astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers. It is a “Halley” type, indicated by the letter P in its name. Stars pass by periodically, 13P/Olbers is 69 years. The last time the comet was seen was in 1956, and the next time we will see the comet pass will be in 2093.
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The star's current distance from Earth is 287,478,432 kilometers, or 1,921,675 astronomical units. It takes light 15 minutes and 58.9248 seconds to travel from Comet 13P/Olbers to reach us. This distance makes it classified by NASA as “potentially hazardous,” although there is no danger of colliding with Earth.
