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06 January 2005 1737 GMT
Picture: Mark Lawrik-Thompson

Norfolk astronomer and Chairman of the Norwich Astronomical Society,
Mark Lawrik-Thompson writes about the comet that can be seen in the skies in Norfolk in January 2005.
Picture: Comet Hyakutake
Hyakutake comet

A comet can be seen with the naked eye in the skies above Norfolk in the new year.

Find out more with local astronomer, Mark Lawrik-Thompson.


Norfolk is one of the few locations in the country where really dark skies can be enjoyed and this is the best place to see a comet.

A 'naked eye' comet will appear in the skies between Tuesday 4 and 8 January, 2005. It's called a 'naked eye' comet because it can be seen without the use of a telescope.

The comet, which was discovered by amateur astronomer Don Machholz during 2004, is now high in our skies and getting brighter.

Strange fuzzy blob


Hale Bopp comet over Stonehenge

Officially named C/2004 Q2, it shines like a strange fuzzy blob in the constellation of Taurus, close to the well known star cluster, the Seven Sisters.

At this point, the comet will be at its closest to the Earth at around 51 million km and shining at magnitude 4.

This is a measure of how bright it will be, where on the same scale, the faintest star visible is magnitude 6 and the bright star Sirius is about magnitude 1.

Many of you in Norfolk will remember comet Hyakutake and comet Hale-Bopp and whilst Machholz is not likely to become as spectacular as Hale-bopp, it may get close to the brightness of Hyakutake.

The comet can be seen from any of the observatories in Norfolk. Click on the weblinks on the top of this page for further details. Click here to find out how to see the comet from your garden.

60th anniversary

The appearance of the comet in the skies over Norfolk coincides with the start of the Norwich Astronomical Society's 60th anniversary year.

The society first started in 1945 in Daniels Road, Norwich and is now based at the observatory in Seething.

To celebrate the society's anniversary, a year of special events is planned including a lecture by Professor Colin Pillinger (from the ill-fated Beagle II mission).

Picture: Closs-up of Hale Bopp
Close-up of comet Hale Bopp

There will be a lecture day at the John Innes Centre and opportunities to see the stars at the observatory at Seething.

One of reasons behind the anniversary celebrations is to encourage more people to take up astronomy.

The first event held in January is a public open evening celebrating our closest neighbour in space, the Moon.

You will be able to see close-ups of the craters and mountains on the Moon and even see the area where the Apollo astronauts landed.

How to see the comet

The comet is pretty easy to find from anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere.


A guide to where you can see comet Machholz

To find it, follow these simple steps:

  • Find a nice dark location away from city lights.
  • Turn to face the south (if you can find the Plough or Big Dipper, then face the opposite direction to it).
  • Identify the large constellation called Orion and follow its three star belt to the upper right.
  • This will take you to a faint cluster of stars called the Seven Sisters or Pleiades.
  • The comet will be moving so check out the map below to see where it is.

For more information about the 60th anniversary events, please contact society Secretary David Balcombe on 01953 602624. Use the links on the top of this page to contact the observatory nearest to you.

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