After much build up and anticipation Comet PanSTARRS (C/2011 L4) will finally arrive and light up the early evening skies during March. Early predictions forecasted a spectacular display, a dazzling naked-eye comet, rivaling in brilliance the night sky's brightest stars and blazing an unforgettable trail above the western horizon just after sunset for a few days in March.
Sadly, recent observations suggest than PanSTARRS will be much dimmer than originally estimated. Even so, it should still reach naked-eye visibility and it certainly would be bad luck if we were denied a good view of this icy-rock, at least with a pair of binoculars or a telescope.
Recent observations
So far this year PanSTARRS has been a southern hemisphere comet. To a lesser extent it was also visible from the tropics but not from northern temperate latitudes. For the first 6 weeks of 2013, the comet brightened only modestly but just when it seemed we might have a celestial flop on our hands, it suddenly produced a small but noticeable increase in brightness. This small burst of activity coincided with the first batch of naked eye sightings as PanSTARRS hit magnitude 5.4 (February 15th). Only four days later, the comet was now a nice early morning object for southern hemisphere observers. Despite been only a few degrees above the horizon it was visible with the naked eye, even against the bright twilight background. The coma of the comet was concentrated with a short broad tail of at least 30 arc minutes in length. Estimates at this stage put the magnitude at 4.5. The comet then continued to brighten as it switched from the morning to the evening sky. On February 27th, PanSTARRS was now magnitude 3.4 with the coma and tail clearly visible to the naked eye. When viewed through 10x50 binoculars the tail measured more than 1 degree in length and of course extended much further when imaged or photographed.
Location, magnitude and star chart
As PanSTARRS heads northwards against the background stars, visibility switches from observers located in the southern hemisphere to those in the north. The comet on February 27th was located in Sculptor at a declination of 30S and visible as an evening twilight object for southern hemisphere observers, although very low down. For those in the northern hemisphere it was not visible but their waiting time is now almost over.
PanSTARRS continues on an essentially northeastern path. From Sculptor, it then cuts through a corner of Aquarius before heading into Cetus on March 5th. It then makes a short diversion into Pisces (March 9th to March 11th), then back into Cetus for two further days before returning to Pisces on March 13th. This is the period of peak brightness when PanSTARRS reaches perihelion or closest approach to the Sun (March 10th). On this date we estimate a magnitude of 1.6, although given the unpredictability of comets, it could easily be brighter or dimmer than that. What is certain, the comet will be positioned extremely close to the Sun in the sky and as always extreme care must be made when observing in such cases. Never casually sweep for the comet with binoculars or a telescope if the Sun is above the horizon. Make sure that the Sun is below the horizon. Even the shortest glimpse of the unfiltered Sun with binoculars or telescopes can cause permanent eye damage. It's just not worth the risk.
The comet then heads due north for a while, crossing into Andromeda on March 22nd and into Cassiopeia on April 9th before arriving in Cepheus at the end of the month. By now PanSTARRS will be circumpolar for most observers located in the northern hemisphere.
The charts below show the position of PanSTARRS until March 22, 2013.
Finder Chart for Comet PanSTARRS from February 27, 2013 to March 7, 2013 - pdf format
Finder Chart for Comet PanSTARRS from March 6, 2013 to March 13, 2013 - pdf format
Finder Chart for Comet PanSTARRS from March 13, 2013 to March 22, 2013 - pdf format
Current visibility
For southern hemisphere observers PanSTARRS is visible very low down in the western sky during evening twilight until about the second week of March when it is lost to the Sun. Observers based in the northern hemisphere have it much better. They can expect to follow PanSTARRS as a naked-eye object from about March 12th until April 1st. The comet is best seen in the evening sky during this time although from about the third week of March it may also been seen in the morning skies, before becoming circumpolar from most northern locations in early April. Its magnitude will decrease from 1.7 on March 12th to 3.7 on March 22nd and down to 5.5 by April 1st. With a bit of luck, it should display a nice long tail. On March 12th, PanSTARRS is joined by the extremely thin crescent two-day old Moon.
The diagram below shows PanSTARRS as seen from temperate northern latitudes.
For example from New York, USA (40N) the comet is about 10 degrees above the west-northwest horizon from March 15th to April 1st, 45 minutes after sunset. This covers the period of naked-eye visibility. After that the comet will be higher in the sky but now beyond naked eye visibility and requiring at least binoculars to be seen. By April 13th it will located a declination of 50N and therefore circumpolar from anywhere north of 40 degrees latitude; hence visible all night, but down to 7th magnitude in brightness.
Comet PanSTARRS
| Name | C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS) |
|---|---|
| Discovered By | Pan-STARRS |
| Discovery Date | June 6, 2011 |
| Epoch | Feb 4, 2012 |
| Aphelion (AU) | unknown |
| Perihelion (AU) | 0.3016 |
| Eccentricity | 1.0001 |
| Orbital Period (years) | ~110,000 |
| Inclination (degrees) | 84.19 |
| Next perihelion | March 10, 2013 |
Comet PanSTARRS (C/2011 L4) Data Table
| Date | Right Ascension | Declination | Mag. | Distance from Earth (AU) | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Feb 2013 | 22h 39m 21s | -35d 40m 47s | 4.0 | 1.160 | Piscis Austrinus |
| 25 Feb 2013 | 22h 48m 59s | -34d 15m 04s | 3.8 | 1.148 | Piscis Austrinus |
| 26 Feb 2013 | 22h 58m 26s | -32d 42m 03s | 3.6 | 1.136 | Piscis Austrinus |
| 27 Feb 2013 | 23h 07m 40s | -31d 01m 38s | 3.4 | 1.126 | Sculptor |
| 28 Feb 2013 | 23h 16m 38s | -29d 13m 46s | 3.2 | 1.118 | Sculptor |
| 01 Mar 2013 | 23h 25m 18s | -27d 18m 29s | 3.0 | 1.111 | Sculptor |
| 02 Mar 2013 | 23h 33m 36s | -25d 15m 54s | 2.7 | 1.105 | Sculptor |
| 03 Mar 2013 | 23h 41m 30s | -23d 06m 14s | 2.5 | 1.101 | Aquarius |
| 04 Mar 2013 | 23h 48m 57s | -20d 49m 51s | 2.3 | 1.098 | Aquarius |
| 05 Mar 2013 | 23h 55m 55s | -18d 27m 14s | 2.1 | 1.097 | Aquarius |
| 06 Mar 2013 | 00h 02m 21s | -15d 59m 04s | 2.0 | 1.097 | Cetus |
| 07 Mar 2013 | 00h 08m 11s | -13d 26m 14s | 1.8 | 1.099 | Cetus |
| 08 Mar 2013 | 00h 13m 25s | -10d 49m 49s | 1.7 | 1.101 | Cetus |
| 09 Mar 2013 | 00h 18m 00s | -08d 11m 09s | 1.6 | 1.105 | Cetus |
| 10 Mar 2013 | 00h 21m 57s | -05d 31m 41s | 1.6 | 1.109 | Pisces |
| 11 Mar 2013 | 00h 25m 16s | -02d 52m 53s | 1.6 | 1.115 | Pisces |
| 12 Mar 2013 | 00h 27m 59s | -00d 16m 12s | 1.7 | 1.120 | Cetus |
| 13 Mar 2013 | 00h 30m 10s | 02d 17m 09s | 1.8 | 1.127 | Cetus |
| 14 Mar 2013 | 00h 31m 51s | 04d 46m 13s | 2.0 | 1.133 | Pisces |
| 15 Mar 2013 | 00h 33m 08s | 07d 10m 19s | 2.2 | 1.140 | Pisces |
| 16 Mar 2013 | 00h 34m 03s | 09d 29m 06s | 2.4 | 1.148 | Pisces |
| 17 Mar 2013 | 00h 34m 41s | 11d 42m 25s | 2.6 | 1.155 | Pisces |
| 18 Mar 2013 | 00h 35m 05s | 13d 50m 19s | 2.8 | 1.163 | Pisces |
| 19 Mar 2013 | 00h 35m 18s | 15d 52m 56s | 3.0 | 1.170 | Pisces |
| 20 Mar 2013 | 00h 35m 21s | 17d 50m 33s | 3.2 | 1.178 | Pisces |
| 21 Mar 2013 | 00h 35m 17s | 19d 43m 26s | 3.4 | 1.186 | Pisces |
| 22 Mar 2013 | 00h 35m 07s | 21d 31m 53s | 3.7 | 1.194 | Pisces |
| 23 Mar 2013 | 00h 34m 53s | 23d 16m 13s | 3.9 | 1.202 | Andromeda |
| 24 Mar 2013 | 00h 34m 35s | 24d 56m 44s | 4.1 | 1.210 | Andromeda |
| 25 Mar 2013 | 00h 34m 15s | 26d 33m 42s | 4.3 | 1.218 | Andromeda |
| 26 Mar 2013 | 00h 33m 52s | 28d 07m 23s | 4.5 | 1.226 | Andromeda |
| 27 Mar 2013 | 00h 33m 28s | 29d 38m 03s | 4.6 | 1.234 | Andromeda |
| 28 Mar 2013 | 00h 33m 03s | 31d 05m 55s | 4.8 | 1.242 | Andromeda |
| 29 Mar 2013 | 00h 32m 38s | 32d 31m 11s | 5.0 | 1.251 | Andromeda |
| 30 Mar 2013 | 00h 32m 11s | 33d 54m 04s | 5.2 | 1.259 | Andromeda |
| 31 Mar 2013 | 00h 31m 44s | 35d 14m 43s | 5.3 | 1.267 | Andromeda |
| 01 Apr 2013 | 00h 31m 17s | 36d 33m 18s | 5.5 | 1.276 | Andromeda |
| 02 Apr 2013 | 00h 30m 50s | 37d 49m 59s | 5.6 | 1.284 | Andromeda |
| 03 Apr 2013 | 00h 30m 22s | 39d 04m 53s | 5.8 | 1.292 | Andromeda |
| 04 Apr 2013 | 00h 29m 55s | 40d 18m 08s | 5.9 | 1.300 | Andromeda |
| 05 Apr 2013 | 00h 29m 27s | 41d 29m 51s | 6.1 | 1.309 | Andromeda |
| 06 Apr 2013 | 00h 28m 60s | 42d 40m 08s | 6.2 | 1.317 | Andromeda |
| 07 Apr 2013 | 00h 28m 32s | 43d 49m 05s | 6.3 | 1.325 | Andromeda |
| 08 Apr 2013 | 00h 28m 04s | 44d 56m 46s | 6.5 | 1.334 | Andromeda |
| 09 Apr 2013 | 00h 27m 36s | 46d 03m 18s | 6.6 | 1.342 | Andromeda |
| 10 Apr 2013 | 00h 27m 07s | 47d 08m 44s | 6.7 | 1.350 | Cassiopeia |
| 11 Apr 2013 | 00h 26m 39s | 48d 13m 08s | 6.8 | 1.358 | Cassiopeia |
| 12 Apr 2013 | 00h 26m 09s | 49d 16m 34s | 6.9 | 1.367 | Cassiopeia |
| 13 Apr 2013 | 00h 25m 39s | 50d 19m 06s | 7.0 | 1.375 | Cassiopeia |
| 14 Apr 2013 | 00h 25m 09s | 51d 20m 46s | 7.1 | 1.383 | Cassiopeia |
| 15 Apr 2013 | 00h 24m 37s | 52d 21m 39s | 7.2 | 1.392 | Cassiopeia |
| 16 Apr 2013 | 00h 24m 05s | 53d 21m 45s | 7.3 | 1.400 | Cassiopeia |
| 17 Apr 2013 | 00h 23m 31s | 54d 21m 08s | 7.4 | 1.408 | Cassiopeia |
| 18 Apr 2013 | 00h 22m 56s | 55d 19m 49s | 7.5 | 1.417 | Cassiopeia |
| 19 Apr 2013 | 00h 22m 20s | 56d 17m 52s | 7.6 | 1.425 | Cassiopeia |
| 20 Apr 2013 | 00h 21m 41s | 57d 15m 17s | 7.7 | 1.433 | Cassiopeia |
| 21 Apr 2013 | 00h 21m 01s | 58d 12m 07s | 7.8 | 1.442 | Cassiopeia |
| 22 Apr 2013 | 00h 20m 19s | 59d 08m 22s | 7.9 | 1.450 | Cassiopeia |
| 23 Apr 2013 | 00h 19m 34s | 60d 04m 05s | 8.0 | 1.459 | Cassiopeia |
| 24 Apr 2013 | 00h 18m 46s | 60d 59m 17s | 8.1 | 1.467 | Cassiopeia |
| 25 Apr 2013 | 00h 17m 55s | 61d 53m 58s | 8.2 | 1.476 | Cassiopeia |
| 26 Apr 2013 | 00h 17m 00s | 62d 48m 10s | 8.3 | 1.485 | Cassiopeia |
| 27 Apr 2013 | 00h 16m 02s | 63d 41m 53s | 8.3 | 1.493 | Cassiopeia |
| 28 Apr 2013 | 00h 14m 59s | 64d 35m 09s | 8.4 | 1.502 | Cassiopeia |
| 29 Apr 2013 | 00h 13m 52s | 65d 27m 58s | 8.5 | 1.511 | Cassiopeia |
| 30 Apr 2013 | 00h 12m 38s | 66d 20m 20s | 8.6 | 1.519 | Cassiopeia |
| 01 May 2013 | 00h 11m 19s | 67d 12m 17s | 8.6 | 1.528 | Cepheus |
| 02 May 2013 | 00h 09m 53s | 68d 03m 48s | 8.7 | 1.537 | Cepheus |
| 03 May 2013 | 00h 08m 19s | 68d 54m 53s | 8.8 | 1.546 | Cepheus |
| 04 May 2013 | 00h 06m 36s | 69d 45m 32s | 8.9 | 1.555 | Cepheus |
| 05 May 2013 | 00h 04m 43s | 70d 35m 46s | 8.9 | 1.564 | Cepheus |
| 06 May 2013 | 00h 02m 39s | 71d 25m 33s | 9.0 | 1.574 | Cepheus |
| 07 May 2013 | 00h 00m 22s | 72d 14m 54s | 9.1 | 1.583 | Cepheus |
| 08 May 2013 | 23h 57m 50s | 73d 03m 48s | 9.1 | 1.592 | Cepheus |
| 09 May 2013 | 23h 55m 02s | 73d 52m 12s | 9.2 | 1.602 | Cepheus |
| 10 May 2013 | 23h 51m 54s | 74d 40m 07s | 9.3 | 1.611 | Cepheus |
| 11 May 2013 | 23h 48m 24s | 75d 27m 29s | 9.3 | 1.621 | Cepheus |
| 12 May 2013 | 23h 44m 29s | 76d 14m 18s | 9.4 | 1.631 | Cepheus |
| 13 May 2013 | 23h 40m 03s | 77d 00m 30s | 9.5 | 1.641 | Cepheus |
| 14 May 2013 | 23h 35m 02s | 77d 46m 01s | 9.5 | 1.650 | Cepheus |
| 15 May 2013 | 23h 29m 19s | 78d 30m 47s | 9.6 | 1.661 | Cepheus |
| 16 May 2013 | 23h 22m 47s | 79d 14m 43s | 9.7 | 1.671 | Cepheus |
| 17 May 2013 | 23h 15m 16s | 79d 57m 41s | 9.7 | 1.681 | Cepheus |
| 18 May 2013 | 23h 06m 35s | 80d 39m 33s | 9.8 | 1.691 | Cepheus |
| 19 May 2013 | 22h 56m 28s | 81d 20m 06s | 9.8 | 1.702 | Cepheus |
| 20 May 2013 | 22h 44m 40s | 81d 59m 06s | 9.9 | 1.712 | Cepheus |
| 21 May 2013 | 22h 30m 49s | 82d 36m 14s | 10.0 | 1.723 | Cepheus |
| 22 May 2013 | 22h 14m 31s | 83d 11m 04s | 10.0 | 1.734 | Cepheus |
| 23 May 2013 | 21h 55m 19s | 83d 43m 05s | 10.1 | 1.745 | Cepheus |
| 24 May 2013 | 21h 32m 47s | 84d 11m 36s | 10.1 | 1.756 | Cepheus |
| 25 May 2013 | 21h 06m 39s | 84d 35m 48s | 10.2 | 1.767 | Cepheus |
| 26 May 2013 | 20h 36m 52s | 84d 54m 48s | 10.3 | 1.778 | Draco |
| 27 May 2013 | 20h 03m 57s | 85d 07m 42s | 10.3 | 1.790 | Draco |
| 28 May 2013 | 19h 29m 01s | 85d 13m 49s | 10.4 | 1.801 | Draco |
| 29 May 2013 | 18h 53m 40s | 85d 12m 50s | 10.4 | 1.813 | Draco |
| 30 May 2013 | 18h 19m 37s | 85d 04m 57s | 10.5 | 1.825 | Draco |
| 31 May 2013 | 17h 48m 17s | 84d 50m 50s | 10.5 | 1.837 | Draco |
| 01 Jun 2013 | 17h 20m 25s | 84d 31m 23s | 10.6 | 1.849 | Ursa Minor |
| 02 Jun 2013 | 16h 56m 15s | 84d 07m 34s | 10.6 | 1.861 | Ursa Minor |
| 03 Jun 2013 | 16h 35m 35s | 83d 40m 20s | 10.7 | 1.873 | Ursa Minor |
| 04 Jun 2013 | 16h 18m 02s | 83d 10m 27s | 10.7 | 1.886 | Ursa Minor |
| 05 Jun 2013 | 16h 03m 10s | 82d 38m 31s | 10.8 | 1.898 | Ursa Minor |
| 06 Jun 2013 | 15h 50m 32s | 82d 05m 02s | 10.8 | 1.911 | Ursa Minor |
| 07 Jun 2013 | 15h 39m 48s | 81d 30m 24s | 10.9 | 1.924 | Ursa Minor |
| 08 Jun 2013 | 15h 30m 37s | 80d 54m 53s | 10.9 | 1.937 | Ursa Minor |
| 09 Jun 2013 | 15h 22m 43s | 80d 18m 43s | 11.0 | 1.950 | Ursa Minor |
| 10 Jun 2013 | 15h 15m 55s | 79d 42m 04s | 11.0 | 1.964 | Ursa Minor |
| 11 Jun 2013 | 15h 10m 01s | 79d 05m 06s | 11.1 | 1.977 | Ursa Minor |
| 12 Jun 2013 | 15h 04m 53s | 78d 27m 53s | 11.1 | 1.991 | Ursa Minor |
| 13 Jun 2013 | 15h 00m 24s | 77d 50m 32s | 11.2 | 2.004 | Ursa Minor |
| 14 Jun 2013 | 14h 56m 29s | 77d 13m 07s | 11.2 | 2.018 | Ursa Minor |
| 15 Jun 2013 | 14h 53m 02s | 76d 35m 41s | 11.3 | 2.032 | Ursa Minor |
| 16 Jun 2013 | 14h 49m 60s | 75d 58m 17s | 11.3 | 2.047 | Ursa Minor |
| 17 Jun 2013 | 14h 47m 20s | 75d 20m 58s | 11.4 | 2.061 | Ursa Minor |
| 18 Jun 2013 | 14h 44m 58s | 74d 43m 44s | 11.4 | 2.075 | Ursa Minor |
| 19 Jun 2013 | 14h 42m 54s | 74d 06m 39s | 11.5 | 2.090 | Ursa Minor |
| 20 Jun 2013 | 14h 41m 03s | 73d 29m 43s | 11.5 | 2.104 | Ursa Minor |
| 21 Jun 2013 | 14h 39m 26s | 72d 52m 58s | 11.6 | 2.119 | Ursa Minor |
| 22 Jun 2013 | 14h 38m 01s | 72d 16m 23s | 11.6 | 2.134 | Ursa Minor |
| 23 Jun 2013 | 14h 36m 45s | 71d 40m 02s | 11.7 | 2.149 | Ursa Minor |
| 24 Jun 2013 | 14h 35m 39s | 71d 03m 53s | 11.7 | 2.165 | Ursa Minor |
| 25 Jun 2013 | 14h 34m 42s | 70d 27m 58s | 11.8 | 2.180 | Ursa Minor |
| 26 Jun 2013 | 14h 33m 52s | 69d 52m 17s | 11.8 | 2.195 | Ursa Minor |
| 27 Jun 2013 | 14h 33m 08s | 69d 16m 50s | 11.8 | 2.211 | Ursa Minor |
| 28 Jun 2013 | 14h 32m 31s | 68d 41m 38s | 11.9 | 2.227 | Ursa Minor |
| 29 Jun 2013 | 14h 32m 00s | 68d 06m 42s | 11.9 | 2.243 | Ursa Minor |
| 30 Jun 2013 | 14h 31m 34s | 67d 32m 01s | 12.0 | 2.259 | Ursa Minor |
| 01 Jul 2013 | 14h 31m 13s | 66d 57m 35s | 12.0 | 2.275 | Ursa Minor |
| 02 Jul 2013 | 14h 30m 56s | 66d 23m 26s | 12.1 | 2.291 | Ursa Minor |
| 03 Jul 2013 | 14h 30m 43s | 65d 49m 33s | 12.1 | 2.307 | Ursa Minor |
| 04 Jul 2013 | 14h 30m 35s | 65d 15m 56s | 12.1 | 2.324 | Draco |
| 05 Jul 2013 | 14h 30m 29s | 64d 42m 35s | 12.2 | 2.340 | Draco |
| 06 Jul 2013 | 14h 30m 27s | 64d 09m 32s | 12.2 | 2.357 | Draco |
| 07 Jul 2013 | 14h 30m 28s | 63d 36m 45s | 12.3 | 2.374 | Draco |
| 08 Jul 2013 | 14h 30m 32s | 63d 04m 14s | 12.3 | 2.391 | Draco |
| 09 Jul 2013 | 14h 30m 39s | 62d 32m 01s | 12.4 | 2.408 | Draco |
| 10 Jul 2013 | 14h 30m 48s | 62d 00m 05s | 12.4 | 2.425 | Draco |
| 11 Jul 2013 | 14h 30m 59s | 61d 28m 26s | 12.4 | 2.442 | Draco |
| 12 Jul 2013 | 14h 31m 12s | 60d 57m 05s | 12.5 | 2.460 | Draco |
| 13 Jul 2013 | 14h 31m 28s | 60d 26m 00s | 12.5 | 2.477 | Draco |
| 14 Jul 2013 | 14h 31m 45s | 59d 55m 13s | 12.6 | 2.495 | Draco |
| 15 Jul 2013 | 14h 32m 05s | 59d 24m 43s | 12.6 | 2.512 | Draco |
| 16 Jul 2013 | 14h 32m 26s | 58d 54m 31s | 12.6 | 2.530 | Draco |
| 17 Jul 2013 | 14h 32m 49s | 58d 24m 35s | 12.7 | 2.548 | Draco |
| 18 Jul 2013 | 14h 33m 13s | 57d 54m 57s | 12.7 | 2.566 | Draco |
| 19 Jul 2013 | 14h 33m 38s | 57d 25m 37s | 12.8 | 2.584 | Draco |
| 20 Jul 2013 | 14h 34m 05s | 56d 56m 33s | 12.8 | 2.602 | Draco |
| 21 Jul 2013 | 14h 34m 34s | 56d 27m 47s | 12.8 | 2.620 | Draco |
| 22 Jul 2013 | 14h 35m 03s | 55d 59m 17s | 12.9 | 2.639 | Draco |
| 23 Jul 2013 | 14h 35m 34s | 55d 31m 05s | 12.9 | 2.657 | Draco |
| 24 Jul 2013 | 14h 36m 06s | 55d 03m 10s | 13.0 | 2.675 | Draco |
| 25 Jul 2013 | 14h 36m 39s | 54d 35m 31s | 13.0 | 2.694 | Boötes |
| 26 Jul 2013 | 14h 37m 13s | 54d 08m 09s | 13.0 | 2.712 | Boötes |
| 27 Jul 2013 | 14h 37m 48s | 53d 41m 04s | 13.1 | 2.731 | Boötes |
| 28 Jul 2013 | 14h 38m 23s | 53d 14m 16s | 13.1 | 2.750 | Boötes |
| 29 Jul 2013 | 14h 38m 60s | 52d 47m 43s | 13.1 | 2.769 | Boötes |
| 30 Jul 2013 | 14h 39m 38s | 52d 21m 27s | 13.2 | 2.788 | Boötes |
| 31 Jul 2013 | 14h 40m 16s | 51d 55m 28s | 13.2 | 2.806 | Boötes |
See also
Final swan song for Comet PanSTARRS (C/2011 L4)
Comet PanSTARRS (C/2011 L4) heads towards a close pass by of Polaris, the Northern Pole Star
Comet PanSTARRS (C/2011 L4) moves through Cassiopeia
Comet PanSTARRS (C/2011 L4) starts to fade but remains a naked eye and binocular target
Media Frenzy as Comet PanSTARRS (C/2011 L4) is now visible to observers in the Northern Hemisphere
Comet PanSTARRS (C/2011 L4) edges closer to March evening performance
Comet PanSTARRS (C/2011 L4) on the verge of naked eye visibility
Comet PanSTARRS (C/2011 L4) brightens to within binocular range