A comet will cross the sky on New Year’s Eve

Science Silvia Meyer
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The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory announced this Saturday that a comet will be visible in the sky in the night that brings the new year.

It seems that not only the illuminated ball and fireworks will like up the sky in Times Square this New Year’s Eve, as a new blazing comet will dart the night sky.

“Say farewell to 2016 in cosmic style by looking up to see the #NewYearsEve #comet on December 31,” posted the laboratory on Instagram Wednesday.

The comet, 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova, will be arriving in the vicinity of the moon on New Year’s Eve, according to NASA specialists. It’s a periodic comet, that returns into the inner solar system once every 5 years, first appeared on December 15 and had a bluish green head by December 21.

According to Dr. David Reitzel, an astronomical lecturer at Griffith Observatory in California, the comet should be visible at this moment by people using telescopes and strong binoculars. This Saturday, people should aim their devices towards the west right after the suns goes down to catch the elusive celestial body, who will be located just on the left side of the crescent moon. For a better view is recommended to go to a low light area.

This will be the first in a string of comets that will be visible in 2017, and this one, the Comet 45P, will be closest to Earth on February 11^th when it will be just 7,5 million miles away from the Blue Planet.