Community Corner

It's Comet PANSTARRS in the Sky!

Norcross-area residents get a spectacular view of the rare "naked-eye" comet, which should be visible in the southern sky through the end of the month.

Scientists say the ability to see a comet without the aid of a telescope usually happens only once every five to 10 years.

In 2013, however, sky watchers in Norcross might have the opportunity to see two comets with the naked eye, including the comet PANSTARRS (or Pan-STARRS) which is visible throughout March, and Comet ISON, which will be in our skies this fall.

Although Comet PANSTARRS on Sunday made its closest approach to the sun, about 28 million miles away, you still have time to catch a glimpse of it.

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The opportunity to see Comet PANSTARRS is only available every 100 million years, reports space.com. Comets like PANSTARRS come so close to the sun that they risk breaking apart, but if they survive, they shine brightly.

Have you caught any clear pictures of PANSTARRS? Post them in this article!

Find out what's happening in Norcrossfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

PANSTARRS will be visible in the Northern Hemisphere for about 15 minutes after sunset until the end of March. To see Comet PANSTARRS, look to the west after right after the sun goes down.

Not lucky enough to catch a glimpse of Comet PANSTARRS, as did a nearby resident of Roswell? Opt for a night of stargazing at Cartersville's Tellus Science Museum.

The observatory is set for a special open house in honor of Spring Break on Friday, March 15, from 8 to 10 p.m. The telescope will be aimed at Jupiter, Saturn, the Orion Nebula and more. It's $5 for general admission.

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