Close-up of comet C/2011 L4 PANSTARRS as seen from Mount Dale, Western Australia.
Comet Pan-STARRS C/2011 L4, discovered by the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope on Haleakala in June 2011, is expected to become visible to the naked eye in the Northern Hemisphere in March. The comet is currently visible in the Southern Hemisphere.
Astrophotographer Luis Argerich of Buenos Aires, Argentina, took this photo of Comet Pan-STARRS taken on March 2, 2013. He writes: "Easy to see with the naked eye from rural locations."
Astrophotographer Ashley Krieger sent in this photo dated March 4, 2013, taken near Two Wells in South Australia, showing comets Panstarrs and Lemmon together.
The progression of comet Pan-STARRS across the night sky in March 2013 is shown in this NASA graphic.
The location of comet Pan-STARRS in the eastern sky of March 2013 just after sunset is shown in this NASA graphic.
Astrophotographer Rukman Nugraha sent in an image of Comet Pan-STARRS taken over Cilacap, Jawa Tengah, Indonesia, on March 7, 2013.
Astrophotographer Philip Collins sent in a photo of comet Pan-STARRS taken in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia at the Mount Charlotte Lookout. Image submitted March 8, 2013.
This NASA graphic depicts the potential brightness of comet Pan-STARRS in March 2013, using the magnitude scale of astronomers.
Yuri Beletsky, a Magellan Instrument Support Scientist at Las Campanas observatory located in Atacama Desert in Chile, used a Canon 5D Mark II camera with an exposure time of ~ 30 seconds on Feb. 28, 2013 to capture this image of Comets Pan-STARRS and Lemmon.
Astrophotographer Luis Argerich of Buenos Aires, Argentina, took this photo of Comet Pan-STARRS taken on March 2, 2013. He writes: "Comet Pan-STARRS was visible from about 8:15 pm to 9 pm above the western horizon."
Astrophotographer Justin Tilbrook of Penwortham, South Australia, caught this photo of Comets Lemmon (bottom left) and Pan-STARRS (right near the Small Magellanic Cloud) together on Feb. 17. 2013. He writes: "This is the one I've been waiting for…. Don't mind saying it was difficult to set this up, a narrow window before sunrise, 4 degrees of hill in the way, limitations with the dome slit and having to mount the camera at the front of the scope at a very odd angle. Took about an hour."
Astrophotographer Luis Argerich of Buenos Aires, Argentina, took this photo of Comet Pan-STARRS taken on March 2, 2013. He writes: "While the tail was still short it was easy to see with the naked eye and very bright."
This graphic depicts the path of comet Pan-STARRS across the night sky from March to May in 2013.
Full view of Comet C/2011 L4 PANSTARRS as seen from Mount Dale, Western Australia. The lights on the distant horizon are from the city of Armadale, which is southeast of Perth.
New Zealand stargazer John Drummond captured this image of comet Pan-STARRS on Jan. 23, 2013. The comet may become visible to the naked eye in March 2013.
A telescope photo of comet Pan-STARRS, which may become visible to the naked eye in March 2013.
Discovery image of the newfound comet C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS), taken by Hawaii's Pan-STARRS 1 telescope.
This still image from a NASA video shows a black and white view of comet Pan-STARRS (background), as well as an image of the comet's discovery photo (inset bottom) and the Panoramic Survey Telescope & Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) Telescope in Hawaii that spotted the comet in June 2011.
This NASA diagram shows the location in the solar system of comet Pan-STARRS, also known as comet C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS), as it will be on March 5, 2013, when the comet will be closest to Earth - about 100 million miles away.
This NASA diagram shows the location in the solar system of comet Pan-STARRS, also known as comet C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS), as it will be on March 10, 2013, when the comet is closest to the sun.
A labeled look at comet Pan-STARRS, which may become visible to the naked eye in March 2013.
Astrophotographer Joe Shuster sent in a photo of Comet Pan-STARRS taken March 11, 2013, in Salem, MO.
Astrophotographer Victor C. Rogus sent in a photo of Comet Pan-STARRS taken March 11, 2013, in Jadwin, MO.
Astrophotographer Peter Lipscomb sent in a photo of Comet Pan-STARRS. Date and location unspecified.
Astrophotographer Paul Storey sent in this photo of Comet Pan-STARRS setting over the Indian Ocean at Point Peron, West Australia. Image taken March 3, 2013.
Astrophotographer Douglas Lowry sent in this photo of Comet Pan-STARRS taken on March 11, 2013, in Texas.
Astrophotographer Josh Knutson sent in a photo of the crescent new moon and Comet Pan-STARRS taken northwest of Rio Rancho, New Mexico. Image submitted March 12, 2013.
Astrophotographer Josh Knutson sent in a photo of his daughter, Aurora, pointing in silhouette at the crescent new moon, taken northwest of Rio Rancho, New Mexico, as they were out looking for Comet Pan-STARRS. The light at upper right appears to be the viewfinder of a camera on a tripod. Image submitted March 12, 2013.
Astrophotographer Tyler Leavitt sent in a photo of the crescent moon and Comet Pan-STARRS over Las Vegas. Image submitted March 13, 2013.
Astrophotographer Charles Medendorp sent in a photo of Comet Pan-STARRS and the crescent moon taken from the base of the Sandia mountains overlooking Albuquerque, New Mexico, on March 12, 2013.
Astrophotographer Joe Shuster sent in a photo of Comet Pan-STARRS and the crescent moon taken in Salem, Missouri, March 12, 2013.
Astrophotographer Bill Carlson sent in a photo of Comet Pan-STARRS and the moon over Buford, Georgia, taken on March 13, 2013.
Astrophotographer Randy Paylor sent in a photo of Comet Pan-STARRS. He writes: "Taken on the campus of Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, March 11th [2013], with the school's Memorial Tower clock in the foreground. It was shot across a big open quad to get the tower in the distance and near the horizon."
Astrophotographer Josh Knutson sent in a photo of the crescent moon and Comet Pan-STARRS setting, with a church in the foreground. Photo taken northwest of Rio Rancho, New Mexico. Image submitted March 12, 2013.
Astrophotographer Josh Knutson sent in a photo of the crescent new moon and Comet Pan-STARRS taken northwest of Rio Rancho, New Mexico. A church stands in the foreground of this picture. Image submitted March 12, 2013.
Astrophotographer James Zeman sent in a photo of Comet Pan-STARRS and the moon in the Hill Country of Texas near Dripping Springs. He writes: "The comet was barely visible with the naked eye, and there was considerable haze on the horizon." Image submitted March 13, 2013.
Dr. Dale P. Cruikshank of NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., took this photo of Comet Pan-STARRS on March 12, 2013.
Astrophotographer Steven Loy sent in this photo of comet Pan-STARRS and the moon taken from Windy Hill on Highway 35 (Skyline Blvd.) above Woodside, CA, on March 12, 2013.
A sunset view of the Paranal Observatory in Chile taken March 5, 2013, shows two comets. Close to the horizon, on the right-hand side of the image, is Comet C/2011 L4 (Pan-STARRS). In the center of the image, just above the right-hand slopes of Cerro Paranal, is Comet C/2012 F6 (Lemmon).
Astrophotographer Douglas S. Brown sent in a photo of Comet Pan-STARRS taken on March 13, 2013, from Mt. Woodson, just east of San Diego, shooting over the Pacific.
Astrophotographer Stojan Stojanovski sent in this photo of Comet Pan-STARRS taken in Ohrid, Macedonia above Samuel Fortress. Image submitted March 19, 2013.
Aaron Kingery, a scientist at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. captured the image of Comet Pan-STARRS on the evening of Tuesday, March 12, 2013 using a Canon DSLR camera. The comet was near peak brightness as it traversed the evening sky.
Astrophotographer Victor C. Rogus sent in a photo of Comet Pan-STARRS taken March 20, 2013, in Jadwin, MO. [See his other photo in this gallery.] He writes: "As I look over my collection of images starting with March 11 until now, I see nightly changes in the comet. The direction of the tail comes to mind first, always away from the sun. Changes in color, at times, and also changes in the size of the coma."
Astrophotographer Chad Blakely made a video of an auroral display with Comet Pan-STARRS. This still image shows the comet as a small dot just above the vegetation at lower center. Video obtained March 20, 2013, in Abisko, Sweden.
Astrophotographer Chad Blakely made a video of an auroral display with Comet Pan-STARRS. This still image shows the comet circled at lower center. Video obtained March 20, 2013, in Abisko, Sweden.
Astrophotographer Chad Blakely made a video of an auroral display with Comet Pan-STARRS. This still image shows the comet magnified. Video obtained March 20, 2013, in Abisko, Sweden.
