Christmas Comet, meteor shower to dazzle the skies

dubai — The brightest comet of the year is set to fly across the country soon and will be at its closest point to Earth in over four centuries — it won’t be this close again in another 20 years.

Dubbed the ‘Christmas Comet’ by Nasa, the comet will be visible to the naked eye from December 14 to 18.

Its scientific name is 46P/Wirtanen and has a diameter of 1.2km.

In fact, the UAE skies will be full of stellar shows this month as the most-awaited meteor shower, The Geminids, will be visible at its peak on December 13.

The CEO of Dubai Astronomy Group, Hasan Al Hariri, said: “Flying inwards from a point near Jupiter, 46P/Wirtanen (Christmas Comet) swings by the sun every five years or so, but it’s usually too far away for us to see.

This year, it will zoom past about 11.5 million kilometres away from us — or 30 times the distance to the moon. It won’t come this close again for another 20 years. The comet, including its diffuse halo of light, is about the size of the full moon. You should be able to see it through binoculars or using a standard DSLR camera if you are away from bright city lights.

“This periodic visitor currently

glows between fourth and fifth magnitude — bright enough to be seen with the naked eye from a dark site and an easy target through binoculars. Wirtanen made its closest approach to the sun on December 12 and will come closest to Earth on 16, swooping within 11.5 million kilometres of our planet. The comet currently resides among the background stars of Taurus the Bull, between the magnificent Pleiades star cluster (M45) and the first-magnitude star Aldebaran. This area remains visible nearly all night, but climbs highest in late evening.”

He added that the small comet comes with “great opportunities” as it presents many possibilities for scientific discoveries.

“For starters, it is classified as a hyperactive comet, which means that it has more ice in its nucleus than one would expect, given its size. As it approaches the sun, the ice melts and turns into a huge cloud that becomes part of the comet’s coma,” Al Hariri said.

The comet’s close approach to Earth will give opportunities for astronomers to study and compare its composition and behaviour with other comets.

Along with the comet and meteor shower, residents will also see the appearance of the first quarter moon, which will set early and allow the visibility of planets Saturn and Jupiter towards the end of the night.

The comet won’t come this close again for another 20 years. Including its diffuse halo of light, it is about the size of the full moon.” Hasan Al Hariri, CEO, Dubai Astronomy Group