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Comet 2P Enke and Other October Sights

© Gregg Pasterick

On the 28th, Comet 2P Enke is at opposition; this is the beginning of what might be a very nice visit with this very regular visitor. It will not, however, be a great ghostly moth like Hale-Bopp. It does not kick up an ill wind, presage catastrophic gubernatorial recalls, or demand homage be paid it with magic mushrooms and sitar music. It will be, at best, a fuzzy smear of light visible to the naked eye, but certainly no spectacle. Not to Joe Schmoe down the street anyway. To star gazers like you and me, it'll be another starry sojourner to track among the constellations.

At opposition, Enke will be 0.4 a.u. away, drifting through Andromeda. It will still be too faint to be seen with the naked eye, but it will continue brighten as the days pass. In the meantime, keep those binoculars handy.

The comet will be nearest the Earth on November 17th, when it is a mere 0.26 a.u. away. That's tailgating in the cosmic scheme of things. It will be soaring along with Cygnus, crossing the swan's right wing, daring you to spot it with the naked eye.

For northern hemisphere observers, the best view of it may come as it moves across Aquila, the Eagle in late November. It will continue to brighten in December as it drops into the southern half of the sky, but it will also sink into the glare of the sun.

Comet 2P Enke will reach perihelion on December 29th. It will be at its brightest, but only 20⁰ due west of the rising sun, making it a challenge to spot. It will be in Ophiuchus.

In astronomy - well, star-gazing to be more specific - timing is everything. Enke often puts on a better show in the southern hemisphere. However, the incoming, northern bit of the comet's orbit is actually nearer us in space. Its timing in 2003 makes this one of the northern hemispheres best views ever, and there will not be a better look at it this century!

Comet 23P Enke isn't the only comet about in October. Halley's Comet is visible in the form of the Orionid meteor shower. Its expected peak is on the 21st this year, though sometimes it occurs as early as the 17/18th. The last quarter moon is a real hindrance - bummer, dude - for all-nighters around the 17th, but by the 21st it will have dwindled to a waning crescent, rising around 2:30 local time.

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