The Green Comet

Spectacular green comet to light up night sky over the UK this week.

16:19 30 March 2016

Stargazers in the UK can expect a unique sight of a green comet moving across the night sky during the last few days of March.

 

Comet LINEAR, which has arrived in the northern hemisphere, is 100 times brighter than expected. However, the light of the moon can drown out the comet. Stargazers can spot it by using binoculars or a telescope from a sufficiently dark area.

 

"Don't expect Comet LINEAR to be obvious, with a long tail," Sky & Telescope senior editor Kelly Beatty said.

 

"Its light isn't concentrated in a single point, but instead is spread out in a soft, round glow, larger than the moon but many thousands of times dimmer."

 

Experts say that March 30, about two hours before dawn, is one of the best times to view the comet. It will appear to be about three degrees to the moon’s upper left. During its path across the sky, it will also pass close to Saturn and Mars.