Comet McNaught was discovered by Australian astronomer Robert H. McNaught in August 7, 2006, while looking at a photograph taken from the Siding Spring Observatory near Coonabarabran in northwestern New South Wales, Australia. At that time, the comet was a faint and distant object. But, now, in January 2007, its orbital motion indicates that Comet McNaught (officially catalogued as C/2006 P1) might provide sky-watchers with dramatic views as it flashes around the Sun.
In January 2007, Comet McNaught will be visible to the unaided eye both at sunset and sunrise when the horizon is viewed without any obstructions. It will be visible near the planet Venus and the constellations Aquila (near the celestial equator) and Ophiuchus (in the southern hemisphere). When the Sun is rising in the east the comet is seen just ahead of the Sun, and at sunset, the comet appears in the west just after the Sun sets under the horizon. The use of binoculars will show its gaseous tail. The best places in the northern hemisphere to see Comet McNaught is in Canada, the Scandinavian countries, and Alaska. However, it has been seen as far south as the Midwestern states in the United States and in France, Spain, and Italy in Europe.
Comet McNaught’s maximum brightness on January 12th has been difficult to calculate due to its close angular distance from the Sun. However, as this angular distance increases, better brightness measurements will become available. Astronomers are hoping that it will provide fantastic views for sky-watchers.
In addition, between January 12 and 15, 2007, Comet McNaught will be observed by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), a joint effort of the ESA/NASA (European Space Agency/National Aeronautics and Space Administration). The SOHO spacecraft was launched in December 1995 to study the Sun and began standard operations in May 1996. It is located near the Earth-Sun L-1 (Lagrangian-1) point, a point of gravitational balance between the Earth and the Sun. The L-1 point is approximately 0.99 astronomical unit (AU) from the Sun and about 0.01 AU from the Earth. (One AU equals about 150 million kilometers (93 million miles)—the approximate distance between the Earth and the Sun.)
From that position in space (which is identical to the Earth's orbital period about the Sun), the SOHO is able to constantly observe the Sun. Thus, the SOHO spacecraft should provide detailed pictures of the comet.
The home Web page of SOHO is: https://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/.
Information about Comet McNaught can be found at: https://www.spaceweather.com/.
