Comets!

There are a couple of exciting comets gracing the skies at the moment. With the moon waning, clear nights this weekend would be good for observing at least one of them in a dark sky... though I suppose it's a bit chilly.

Periodic comet 144/P Kushida is in a good place, very accessible and well off the horizon in Taurus. It's not the most interesting object to look at, but it's nice and getting a bit easier to spot by the day. It's expected to hit its maximum brightness (only about ninth magnitude) in the next several weeks. It has completed its retrograde motion and is now making its way westward. If you go after it, you'll want dark skies, big binoculars or a scope, and an up-to-date finder chart (Heavens Above offers one if you need it).

Even more exciting is Comet Lulin, a weird little comet that's fast, fairly close, and whose orbit is reverse to that of the planets. That means that it will be moving extremely fast from our perspective - so fast that the practiced observer may *see it move* against the field stars. Or so they say. It's got a tail and an antitail and may brighten past fifth magnitude and naked-eye visibility. The only catch is that it just passed perihelion and is in Libra now, not far past the sun. It's an early-morning object now and not best placed. Its position will be improving as it becomes an evening object and nears its closest approach to earth February 24. But comets do funny things, so we'll just have to wait and see. Check out a terrific article on Universe Today for more information, or visit Sky and Tel for charts.