"Devil's comet" returns after 71-year orbit

Jun. 30—Sky watchers disappointed that the total eclipse will skirt New Mexico on April 8 can find consolation in the "devil's comet," now visible in the western sky just after sunset.

The comet, officially called 12P/Pons-Brooks, has returned to our solar system as it does every 71 years.

Now is a good time to observe Pons-Brooks — before it moves too close to the sun and slips out of sight below the horizon, said Beck Ramotowski, an avid sky watcher.

"Don't wait," she said this week. "This weekend would be great."

Pons-Brooks is visible low in the western sky just after sunset.

As a bonus, Mercury and Jupiter should be visible, providing good markers for the comet's location.

First, find a good, unobstructed view of the western horizon, such as the West Mesa, Ramotowski said. She also recommends using binoculars to view Pons-Brooks.

"After sunset, look for Mercury above the sun, and then Jupiter above that," she said. Mercury is a somewhat faint, "peachy" colored planet. Jupiter is considerably brighter.

Pons-Brooks will be just to the right of the two planets, she said. The three bodies currently form a nearly equilateral triangle.

The comet will brighten as it nears perihelion — its closest approach to the sun — on April 21, but it will also sink lower on the horizon day by day.

"Then it's very difficult to see because it's too close to the sun," she said. By then, the comet will be largely out of view in the northern hemisphere.

Pons-Brooks is known for explosions and sudden flare-ups in brightness, which have earned it a variety of nicknames, including the "devil's comet," according to the website space.com.

On July 20, the comet abruptly brightened 100-fold as astronomers watched a double plume of debris streaming out of the comet's core, forming a falcon shape.

Pons-Brooks may be one of a small number of comets with active ice volcanoes containing a mixture of hydrocarbons and gases that explode when sunlight opens a fissure, according to spaceweather.com.

The comet was first discovered in 1812 by the French astronomer Jean Louis Pons. The American comet observer William Brooks found it again in 1883, and the comet was named for both.

The heavens will offer another rare viewing opportunity on April 8, when a total solar eclipse will cross North America.

Unfortunately, the path of totality will skirt New Mexico entirely, according to NASA.

The total eclipse will be visible along a narrow path that crosses 13 states from Texas to Maine.

However, the sun will be 65-90% covered in New Mexico, with the best viewing in the southeast.

In Albuquerque, about 70% of the sun will be obscured, with the maximum occurring at 12:30 p.m. The partial eclipse in Albuquerque will continue from about 11:16 a.m. to 12:47 p.m.

Jim Greenhouse doesn't hold out much hope that the Pons-Brooks comet will be visible during the April 8 solar eclipse, even for people who travel out-of-state to view the total eclipse.

"The problem during the eclipse is, the sky doesn't turn completely black like it does at night," said Greenhouse, who plans to travel to Dallas for the eclipse.

During a total eclipse, "that's the one time when you can see the sun's outer atmosphere, called the corona," he said. "And the corona is a little bit brighter than the full moon."

Only planets and some very bright stars are visible during a total eclipse, he said.

"Only the very brightest things in the sky will be visible, and a comet is definitely not going to be the brightest thing in the sky," he said.