Comet PanSTARRS is now no longer a naked eye object but remains visible for some time through amateur telescopes. Having recently passed within a few degrees of the spectacular Andromeda Galaxy (M31), the comet has now moved into Cassiopeia and will next pass through the "W" shape before leaving the constellation at the end of April.

The bright constellation Cassiopeia lies in the far northern sky and is easily recognisable due to its distinctive "W" shape. It's bordered by Andromeda (to the south), Perseus (southeast) and Cepheus (north) and is located on the opposite side of the polar region to the "Big Dipper" or "Plough" asterism of Ursa Major. The "W" of Cassiopeia is circumpolar and hence never sets for observers located at latitudes greater than 45N.

PanSTARRS entered into Cassiopeia on April 9th. On this date it was right at the limit of naked eye visibility (mag. 6.2) but an easy binocular and small telescope target. The comet is continuing on an almost direct northern path, roughly parallel to the zero hour of right ascension. On April 16th, PanSTARRS passed less than 2 degrees west of ζ Cas (mag. 3.7) and λ Cas (mag. 4.7). It then reaches the vicinity of the "W" around April 19th, passing 2.5 degrees west of Schedar (α Cas - mag. 2.2). Two day later PanSTARRS crosses the line connecting the western two stars of the "W", Schedar and Caph (β Cas - mag. 2.3) before passing 1.25 degrees west of mag. 6.5 open cluster NGC 129 on April 23rd. It's predicted that it will now be down to magnitude 7.5, hence a more difficult binocular object but still well within the range of small and medium sized telescopes. On April 30th, PanSTARRS finally leaves Cassiopeia and moves into adjacent Cepheus.

Finder Chart for Comet PanSTARRS as it moves through Cassiopeia - pdf format

Finder Chart for Comet PanSTARRS - April 3, 2013 to April 21, 2013 - pdf format

From temperate northern latitudes, PanSTARRS is circumpolar and therefore visible all night. When viewed around midnight or preferably during the early hours of the morning, it's relatively high in the sky and therefore easier to see.

Comet PanSTARRS

Comet PanSTARRS (C/2011 L4) Data Table

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) 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
How to see Comet PanSTARRS (C/2011 L4) in March 2013
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