For people in the Northern Hemisphere, Q4 will put on the better show. After spending the first four months of the year buried deep in the southern sky, the comet shoots northward during May. By the end of May?s first week, it looks like a fuzzy ?star? low in the southwest as the last glimmer of evening twilight fades away. On May 7, it lies to the upper left of the brightest star in the sky, Sirius. (Don?t confuse Sirius with the planet Venus, a far brighter object currently standing in the west as darkness falls.)
The comet gains significant altitude with each passing night. By mid-May ? the prime viewing time for North American observers ? it lies halfway between the horizon and directly overhead as twilight ends. Be sure to check out the view on the evenings of May 14 and 15. Comet Q4 then skirts the edge of the Beehive star cluster (M44), a collection of dozens of stars that is one of the finest binocular objects in the spring sky. The tail of the comet will stream to the upper left of M44.
Although Comet T7 will put on a better display for viewers in the Southern Hemisphere, North American observers shouldn?t pass it by. The peak of the show should come during the first week of June, when the comet lies low in the west-southwest after twilight fades. For the best view, find an observing location with a dark sky and a clear view of the west-southwestern horizon. T7 still may be bright enough to see without optical aid, but binoculars will give you a better view and, in any case, make the task of finding it easier. On June 4, the comet passes just below Alphard, the brightest star in the constellation Hydra. T7?s tail then lies nearly parallel to the horizon.
