Comet May Be Brightest to Pass So Close to Earth Since 1556

Comet Hyakutake is expected to pass within 10 million miles of Earth on March 25 and astronomers predict that it will be 0.7 magnitude, easily making it bright enough to see from any city. “If the brightness holds, it will be the intrinsically brightest comet to pass so close to the Earth since 1556,” said Brian G. Marsden of the International Astronomical Union in Cambridge, Mass.

Chances are you will see two tails from this comet: an ion tail and a dust tail, according to Geoff Chester of the National Air & Space Museum’s Einstein Planetarium. Chester says the ion tail is made chiefly of hydrogen compounds and always points away from the sun. The dust tail is made of solid, silicate particles--dirt.