COMET Hyakutake is expected to outshine the stars and dazzle sky gazers over the weekend. The beautiful tailed object, which has been visible to the naked eye for the past month, is getting brighter this week as it approaches the Sun.
The comet was discovered by an amateur Japanese astronomer, Mr Yuji Hyakutake, only three months ago. It will be at its most spectacular in the north west sky for a short while just after sunset on Saturday and Sunday.
Thousands of enthusiasts are expected to attend Astronomy Ireland's comet watches in the car park at the papal cross in the Phoenix Park on Saturday and Sunday evenings. It will also be visible without a telescope throughout the country, weather permitting.
The comet will be at its brightest for up to an hour to the bottom right of the planet Venus, which looks like a very bright large star.
It is expected to vanish from sight at about 9.40 p.m. on Saturday and 9.20 p.m. on Sunday, according to Astronomy Ireland's chairman, Mr David Moore. "Just after sunset it will be brighter than any other star in the sky, with a tail that is longer than the Plough," he said.
A comet is an icy body orbiting the sun. When it closes in on the sun, the heat warms the "snowball", melting some of the core. This material streams off the head of the comet, forming the characteristic tail which stretches for tens of millions of miles.
The dramatic brightening Comet Hyakutake over the weekend is because it is heading towards the Sun on its 14,000 year orbit. The best view of the comet is with the naked eye or through binoculars. Because Comet Hyakutake is so big - its head is one mile in diameter - a telescope is too powerful to see all of it. With a promising weekend weather outlook, Mr Moore is predicting that comet watchers will not be disappointed.
"This weekend the comet will be at its best. If you're not impressed on Saturday or Sunday, assuming the skies are clear, then there's no hope for you", he said.