Over the last few days of March, Comet LINEAR - formally 252P - will be visible to observers in the Northern Hemisphere, an event that has astronomers and casual skywatchers excited due to its brightness, which is 100 times greater than expected. In recent days, some observers in the Southern Hemisphere have spotted the comet without binoculars in especially dark areas.
For those planning on witnessing the event from the Northern Hemisphere, it will likely only be visible with binoculars in sufficiently dark areas despite the presence of the moon's light.
"Don't expect Comet LINEAR to be obvious, with a long tail," said Kelly Beatty, a planetary science and space exploration expert. "Its light isn't concentrated in a single point, but instead is spread out in a soft, round glow, larger than the moon, but many thousands of times dimmer."
Those watching the comet with telescopes will get an even better visual and might be able to see the greenish haze that surrounds in. Experts believe this haze is the result of the atoms of diatomic carbon that surround the comet and fluoresce in the sunlight.
If you're planning on catching a glimpse of the comet, try and be outside at least 90 minutes prior to sunrise in a dark area and keep an eye on the area between the Sagittarius and Scorpius constellations.
In terms of planetary guides, LINEAR will be in line with Mars and Saturn March 29, and in line with Saturn and Antares - the bright red star in the Scorpius constellation - March 31. On March 30, the moon will be close by and visible at just three degrees to the lower right of the comet.
Those with very large telescopes might also catch Comet Pan-STARRS, also known as P/2016 BA14, around the same time as LINEAR. On March 22, it came within 3.5 million kilometers of the Earth.
"The timing of these paired visits is probably no coincidence," Beatty said. "The 'P' in both comets' designations means they are in periodic (elliptical) orbits that bring them near the sun repeatedly - in this case, about every five years. Their orbits are so similar that comet specialists suspect these two bodies are fragments of a single object."
Comet LINEAR was discovered April 7, 2000, and is estimated to be 230 meters across.
