Just After Christmas - 8P/Tuttle - a second bright comet in the sky
Nov 23rd, 2007 | By CentroN | Category: Astronomy
After Comet 17P/Holmes shocked astronomers on Oct. 24, 2007, with a spectacular eruption, a second naked-eye comet, 8P/Tuttle may become visible on January 2nd just after the 2008 New Year celebrations. Given that the naked-eye comets are unusual enough, I’d encourage everyone to go out and look. The comet has an orbital period of 13.6 years and is the parent of the Ursid meteor shower, which reaches maximum on December 22. By the end of January 2008, the comet will be mostly visible to observers in the Southern Hemisphere.