Stargazing

Comet Ikeya-Zhang April 3-5, 2002, Finder Chart


Comet Ikeya-Zhang remains visible to the unaided for the first few days of April as it passes through the constellation Andromeda -- but you need dark skies to pick it out. Most city-dwellers will need binoculars to find it. The comet looks like a small, fuzzy star with a short, faint tail. It appears low in the northwest in early evening, and sets a couple of hours after sunset. It then reappears in the northeast beginning a couple of hours before sunrise. Ikeya-Zhang passes near M31, the Andromeda galaxy, during the first few days of April, and is closest on the 4th and 5th. The galaxy looks like a small, elongated, fuzzy star. It's best seen with binoculars or a small telescope.