Comet C/2016 R2 PanSTARRS clips the Bull’s Nose
WHEN: Early evening from 5-21 January
As comets go, C/2016 R2 PanSTARRS is a relatively faint one which will require a modest size of telescope to see. A smaller telescope fitted with a camera shouldn’t have too much of an issue recording it as a mag. +13.2 glowing patch, slowly drifting
against the background stars. It’s the background stars that make C/2016 R2 PanSTARRS so approachable this month, because its track across the sky takes it right past the nose of Taurus, the Bull. Many descriptive parts of constellations can be tricky to identify if you’re not used to them. Tracking down patterns representing Orion’s club or the northern fish in Pisces can leave you scratching your head. In the case of Taurus, the head and nose couldn’t be easier to find as both are represented by the V-shaped Hyades open cluster.
The V comes to a point at mag. +3.6 Hyadum I (Gamma (a) Tauri) and it’s this star that represents the Bull’s nose.
At 00:00 UT on 1 January, the comet is located 1.75º southeast of Hyadum I and moving along a path that takes it ever closer to the star over the next few days. At 00:00 UT on 5 January, the comet is 18 arcminutes southwest of Hyadum I, while at 00:00 UT on 6 January it’s located a similar distance to the west of it.
The issue on these dates will be the presence of a bright Moon to the east of Taurus. The best strategy is to observe early in the evening before the Moon rises. Fortunately the Hyades will be well positioned at this time and high in the sky towards the south.
After the nose-scrape, C/2016 R2 PanSTARRS arcs up towards the north ending the month as a mag. +13.3 object 3º east of the Pleiades open cluster, M45.