C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) – The First Decent Comet of 2020?
So it turns out that one of the last comet discoveries of 2019 is brightening up and could be a good contender for a visual comet come the spring time. Comet c/2019Y4 Atlas is currently near the Plough and can be spotted in powerful binoculars or anything bigger than a small telescope – there’s a link here to a sky map showing you how to find it.
Comet Catalina imaged at Battlesteads Observatory
You can search for this comet in the FREE laptop/PC software Stellarium – download it here and explore how this comet will move through the heavens over the coming months. Currently it’s just to the right of the Plough, but in May it’ll be beneath Camelopardalis and heading to Perseus, then through Taurus and on to Orion in July. During these months the bright night time sky and barely setting sun will mean it is difficult to see so March and April will probably be the best times to try to spot it.
