“There hadn’t been a lot of buzz about Comet McNaught. But, as the comet got closer to the sun it brightened and the word spread among stargazers. The Comet McNaught was special…
The comet, discovered last year by Australian astronomer R.H. McNaught, is expected to remain visible in the Northern Hemisphere, conditions permitting, through today, when it likely will become obscured by the sun’s glare. After that, it will begin its traverse around the sun, eventually emerging for people in the Southern Hemisphere to enjoy.

According to the Web site www.spaceweather.com, the Comet McNaught is the brightest one in 30 years. The comet is “plunging toward the sun, and the heat is causing it to brighten dramatically. A few days ago, it was barely visible in evening twilight, but now it pops into view while the sky is still glowing blue. Only Venus is brighter.”

Comets – collections of ice, gas and dust – usually have two tails, one made of dust and the other of ionizing gases, Gutoski said. The Comet McNaught is bright because it is traveling close to the sun and toward it. That proximity is producing a long, highly visible, dust tail…

The comet, discovered last year by Australian astronomer R.H. McNaught, is expected to remain visible in the Northern Hemisphere, conditions permitting, through today, when it likely will become obscured by the sun’s glare. After that, it will begin its traverse around the sun, eventually emerging for people in the Southern Hemisphere to enjoy.

According to the Web site www.spaceweather.com, the Comet McNaught is the brightest one in 30 years. The comet is “plunging toward the sun, and the heat is causing it to brighten dramatically. A few days ago, it was barely visible in evening twilight, but now it pops into view while the sky is still glowing blue. Only Venus is brighter.”

Comets – collections of ice, gas and dust – usually have two tails, one made of dust and the other of ionizing gases, Gutoski said. The Comet McNaught is bright because it is traveling close to the sun and toward it. That proximity is producing a long, highly visible, dust tail.

The comet is both visible in the morning and evening. Stargazers in the morning should look to the southeast horizon [to the right of Mt. Rainier] about a half-hour to 45 minutes before sunrise to get a good look at Comet McNaught. In the evening, the comet should be visible by looking to the southwest about a half-hour to 45 minutes after sunset,” quoting The Olympian.

Space.com has the full story.