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Comet Pan‑STARRS Reaches Perihelion Sunday, Closing a Brief Pre‑Dawn Viewing Window

Perihelion marks a short viewing peak for northern skywatchers.

Overview

  • The comet, which reaches perihelion Sunday, April 19, can be seen about 90 minutes before sunrise low in the east near Algenib in the Great Square of Pegasus.
  • Observers report a brightness near magnitude +4.3 to +4.7, placing it on the edge of naked‑eye visibility, though binoculars make it far easier to spot.
  • The northern window ends around April 20 as the comet sinks into daylight, with better post‑perihelion views shifting to the Southern Hemisphere later this month.
  • Closest approach to Earth is expected around April 26–27 at roughly 0.52 AU, but the viewing geometry will keep it difficult for northern observers.
  • Spaceborne imagers SOHO and NOAA’s GOES‑19 should capture the passage around April 23–25, as this long‑period Oort Cloud visitor heads back out on a path likely to eject it from the inner solar system.