Comet Could Light Up New Jersey Sky On New Year's Eve

There may not be any need to bring the kids out at midnight after all, just to see the fireworks light up the New Year's Eve sky. You should only need to walk out your door - and this phenomenon will happen long before their bed time.

A comet could be visible from the New Jersey sky, according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Beginning at 6:30 p.m., you could see "45P" zipping over your house, something it only does every 5 years.

A NASA video says the colorful comet should be visible just to the left of a crescent moon.

CNN says the comet, whose real name is Honda-Mrkos-Pajdušáková, will reach the point of orbit when it is closest to the sun on New Year's Eve. Unlike Halley's Comet, which was was blamed for earthquakes, illnesses and even the Black Death, no such destructive activity is expected to take place.

The comet, which was named after the people who discovered it almost 70 years ago, is expected to be barely within the limit for visibility with the unaided eye. You may need an extremely dark sky - and maybe something than binoculars, such as a telescope - to see this comet, according to earthsky.org.

Sometimes the comet is close enough to appear bright green, but this one may only appear like a bright light.

"The comet and the crescent moon will rendezvous to say farewell in 2016," according to NASA.

NASA photo