Comet McNaught (C/2009 R1) can be found low in the northeastern sky before dawn gliding through the constellation Perseus. It is brightening as it approaches Earth for a 1.13 AU close encounter on June 15th and 16th. Currently, the comet is at the threshold of naked eye visibility (5th to 6th magnitude) and could become as bright as the stars of the Big Dipper (2nd magnitude) before the end of the month. Estimates are uncertain, however, because this comet is a newcomer to the inner solar system, and thus somewhat unpredictable.

Michael Jäger of Stixendorf, Austria, took the above photo on June 6th using an 8-inch telescope. The comet's green atmosphere is larger than the planet Jupiter, while the long willowy ion tail stretches more than a million kilometers through space. These dimensions make the comet a fine target for backyard telescopes.

The sad thing for observers is, the comet is only visible in the early morning hours before dawn, and that time grows shorter with each passing day.

We rarely see a good comet when it's at its best. Most comets are brightest when nearest the Sun — just when they’re most likely to be hidden in the Sun’s glare or below the sunrise or sunset horizon. The comet is approaching on a hyperbolic orbit, which means that it’s making its first trip in from the Oort Cloud. So its brightness is even less predictable than usual. It could flare unexpectedly and become a maked eye object, or perhaps fizzle right out.

The comet will be lost to view by June’s end — just before it reaches perihelion on July 2nd, 0.405 astronomical unit from the Sun. It remains far from Earth throughout this apparition, never venturing closer than 1.135 a.u. (in mid-June). After perihelion it will fade rapidly as it heads to the far-southern sky.

Interested observers are encouraged to keep watching the pre-dawn northeastern skies, and we just may get to see the comet with the naked eye, just as it is pictured above.

 Stay tuned for updates!