The comet will reach perihelion on December 29th, 2016 at 0.53 Astronomical Units (AU) from the sun, and the comet passes just 0.08 AU (7.4 million miles) from the Earth on February 11th at 14:44 UT. This apparition favors the northern hemisphere. In the second week of February, the comet is visible in the dawn sky 82 degrees west of the sun at maximum brightness. The comet then passes through the constellations of Corona Borealis, Boötes, Canes Venatici, Ursa Major into Leo through to the end of February as it recedes. Visibility prospects: At its brightest, Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdušáková will be passing through the constellation Hercules during closest approach on February 11th. The comet may break +10th magnitude and become very briefly visible in the first few weeks of December before getting too close to the sun to observe in late 2016 and crossing into the morning sky in early 2017.

Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdušáková is set to break binocular +10th magnitude brightness in mid-December 2017, and may reach a maximum brightness of magnitude +7 from January through February 2017.Ĭurrently and through the end of 2016, the comet sits towards the center of the Milky Way Galaxy in Sagittarius at a faint +15th magnitude in the evening sky. Discovered independently by astronomers Minoru Honda, Antonin Mrkos and L'udmila Pajdušáková on December 3rd, 1948, Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdušáková orbits the sun once every 5.25 years on a short period orbit. Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdušáková is expected to reach maximum brightness around late February 2017.

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