A comet which has been getting nearer and nearer to the Earth in recent months will soon make its closest approach yet.
Comet 46P/Wirtanen will pass within approximately 11.6 million kilometres of the planet on Dec. 16. For reference, the distance between the Earth and the moon is 384,400 kilometres.
The proximity alone is rare – it will be the 10th closest comet to the Earth on record – but what really has sky-gazers excited is the comet’s brightness. Many of the closer comets were barely visible to the naked eye, but Comet 46P/Wirtanen is expected to be near its brightest when it passes by.
As a result, the comet is expected to be visible from most areas of Earth if conditions are clear. People watching the skies in most Canadian communities will be able to see it starting shortly between 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Dec. 16, with it reaching its highest point in the sky between 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., and then fading away by 4 a.m. on Dec. 17, according to In-The-Sky.org.
There is a zero per cent chance of the comet hitting Earth, according to astronomers at the University of Maryland, though it could remain visible in the night sky for several weeks after its Dec. 16 peak.
The Maryland astronomers describe Comet 46P/Wirtanen as a “hyperactive” comet, emitting more water than it should be expected to based on the size of its nucleus.
