PONS-WINNECKE COMET

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23382, 26 June 1939, Page 13

PONS-WINNECKE COMET

NAKED-EYE VISIBILITY RAPID MOTION REVEALED The brightness of Pons-Winnecke's comet has increased so greatly in the past week that it is now capable of being seen without a telescope. When observed by an Auckland astronomer last night it was estimated to be of the fifth magnitude.

11l the bright moonlight, only the central nucleus was visible, without any surrounding coma or tail, and it possessed a decidedly reddish hue.

The comet will make its closest approach to the sun on July 3, and at that time it will be at its brightest, being then situated only 10,000,000 miles from the earth, which is a comparatively close approach in the astronomical sense. Moving almost directly southward, the comet's apparent motion is at present very rapid. It lay last night close to Alpha Serpentis, seven degrees north of the celestial equator. On July 4 it will be close to Tan Scorpii, 28 degrees south. Therefore, it will cover an arc of 35 degrees in nine days. The predicted path of' the comet during the next two weeks, given for midnight at Greenwich, is as follows.-'— Juno 26, right ascension 15 hours 49.3 minutes, declination 4deg. 18 minutes north; June 28, 15h. 57.4 m., 3deg. 7mill. south; June 30, 16h. 6.2 in., lldeg. Gmin. south; July 2. lGh. 16.2ni, lfldog. 2-ljnin. south; July 4, 16h. 27.4 m.. 27dog. 36min. south; July 0, J6h. 10.1 m., 3odeji. 17min. south; Jyly S, IGb. 51.1 m., <l2de«*. Siuin. south.