The colder nights are upon us now and that means crisp, clear, bug-free viewing for us in the southwestern U.S. It just so happens a dirty snowball will grace our skies as well. Comet Catalina C/2013 US10 will be making its way higher into the northern skies in December and January. There will be a great photo-op on New Years Day, January 1, 2016 when Catalina will be snuggled up next to the fourth brightest star in the sky, orange giant Arcturus in the constellation Bootes.
Discovered on Halloween in 2013 by the Catalina Sky Survey the comet will be closest to Earth on January 12, 2016 at 66.9 million miles. That’s over two-thirds the distance from the Earth to the Sun in case you are keeping track at home kids.