Christmas Comet: The Star of Bethlehem can be seen with the naked eye. We explain when and where to monitor it
Comet Leonard’s Christmas, also visible to the naked eye for a short timeOn time, as has often happened in recent years, the Christmas Guilty or, as you prefer, Star of Bethlehem. What is certain is that his name is not Santa Claus, but rather Leonard.
The name was given by its discoverer, A astronomer identified in January of this year by the Mount Lennon Observatory, in Arizona.
in this days Leonard rushes through our skies in one crazy speed A space object of its kind. I think it travels at a speed of about 71 km / s, which is not bad!
Will it be visible to the naked eye? the answer is yes, but be careful, only a short time And in the conditions of the sky practically clear and without lights! The culprit, in fact, On Sunday December 12 I reached the “closest” point of the Earth And now it will disappear from the hemisphere in great strides.
Where, when and how do you monitor it? Well, thanks to the improved weather that will provide us with calm and clear nights over most of Italy, the comet can be observed just before dawn, Let’s say between 5.30 and 6.30, either with binoculars (optimal choice), or with the naked eye: we will have to look to the northeast, down constellation boats (Shepherd) and his main star Arturo. This constellation will be found, typical of the summer sky near the horizon.
A perfect place to watch it: definitely not in the city, but on a completely dark beach or in the open countryside with a skyline devoid of anything.
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