See Comet ATLAS Scoot Across Orion This Week
Comet ATLAS is the green, fuzzy blob to the right of Orion's Belt. I took this photo on Nov. 9 with a 200mm lens set to f/2.8 and a time exposure of 40 seconds at ISO 800 on a tracking mount. The nebula NGC 2024 at left is part of a star-forming region in Orion. Bob King Comet NEOWISE was the last bright comet easily visible from the northern hemisphere. Not that we're found a replacement for that incredible sight, but Comet ATLAS (C/2020 M3) is doing its best this month to fulfill that role. Currently the brightest comet in the sky, it's located in Orion the hunter and easy to find. Comet ATLAS tracks north across Orion this week and next. This map shows its position nightly from Nov. 11-16 around 11 p.m. CDT. Stars are shown to magnitude 8. Stellarium with additions by the author It glows at 8th magnitude this month, and while not visible with the naked eye, you can see it in a pair of 50mm or larger binoculars as a faint smudge under a dark sky. A 6-inch or larger t...