Earth will pass through a comet tail Mar 28-29

[Emily]

http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iau/cbet/004200/CBET004267.txt

Electronic Telegram No. 4267 Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams Mailing address: Hoffman Lab 209; Harvard University; 20 Oxford St.; Cambridge, MA 02138; U.S.A. e-mail: cbatiau@eps.harvard.edu (alternate cbat@iau.org) URL http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/index.html Prepared using the Tamkin Foundation Computer Network COMET 252P/LINEAR P. Jenniskens, SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center; and J. Vaubaillon, Institut de Mecanique Celeste et de Calcul des Ephemerides, Paris, report that, in the wake of the close 0.0356-AU approach of comet 252P to the earth on Mar. 21 (cf. CBET 4259), it is possible that a new meteor shower will appear on Mar. 28 and 29. A standard model was developed by integrating the orbit of the comet back to A.D. 1850 and ejecting dust at each perihelion passage since that time. After forward-integrating these particles to Mar. 2016, it was found that at no time this year are the densest dust trail sections in the earth's path. Instead, a diffuse cloud of perturbed meteoroids ejected during 1894-1926 is calculated to be in the earth's path during solar longitude 7.5-8.9 degrees (peak at 8.15 deg; equinox J2000.0), between Mar. 28.0 and 29.417 UT. Dust ejected in 1921 is predicted to peak around solar lonitudes 8.01 and 8.47 deg (Mar. 28.5 and 28.958 UT, respectively), while dust from 1915 would peak at 8.27 deg (Mar. 28.75). Slow meteors will radiate from a geocentric radiant at R.A. = 77.0 deg, Decl. = -16.3 deg, with velocity V_g = 11.1 km/s. Rates will be low. Selected total-magnitude and coma-diameter estimates for comet 252P, visual unless noted otherwise: Jan. 24.51 UT, 17.5, -- (K. Kadota, Ageo, Japan, 0.25-m reflector + CCD); Feb. 10.48, 16.2, 0'.4 (K. Yoshimoto, Yamaguchi, Japan, 0.16-m reflector + CCD); 27.47, 15.5, -- (Kadota); Mar. 5.84, 10.5, 5' (J. J. Gonzalez, Leon, Spain, 0.20-m reflector); 6.47, 11.3, 8' (D. A. J. Seargent, Cowra, NSW, Australia, 25-cm reflector); 8.46, 9.5, 15' (M. Mattiazzo, Swan Hill, Australia, 25x100 binoculars); 11.02, 8.6, 12' (M. Goiato, Aracatuba, Brazil, 20x100 binoculars); 11.46, 8.0, 25' (Mattiazzo, 8x40 binoculars); 13.50, 7.0, 30' (Mattiazzo); 14.06, 6.6, 30' (Goiato, 7x50 binoculars); 15.44, 6.1, 40' (Mattiazzo; moonlight); 16.14, 6.1, 35' (Goiato). NOTE: These 'Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams' are sometimes superseded by text appearing later in the printed IAU Circulars. (C) Copyright 2016 CBAT 2016 March 17 (CBET 4267) Daniel W. E. Green

 

[Emily]

I haven't seen any updates on whether or not we'll see a meteor shower, but here are a couple of articles about viewing the comet(s):

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Co..._Week_999.html

Comet 252P LINEAR Soars Into Predawn View This Week
by Staff Writers
Boston MA (SPX) Mar 25, 2016 Astronomers who scan the skies for returning comets are often disappointed. Sometimes these icy visitors from the fringes of our planetary system end up being much fainter than predicted.
And sometimes the opposite happens. Comet LINEAR (formally designated 252P), now in Earth's general vicinity, started brightening abruptly a few weeks ago and has become more than 100 times brighter than expected. Observers from the Southern Hemisphere have been able to glimpse the comet by eye, without any optical aid, from very dark skies...

http://www.12news.com/opinion/talker...comet/94212037

Where and when you can see the green comet

Gabriel Trujillo, KPNX 12:25 PM. MST March 21, 2016
... Named 252P/LINEAR, the comet is actually part of a pair. The first comet will be visible to the naked eye to those in the Southern Hemisphere, as long as they're away from city lights. The trailing member of the two comets is named P/2016 BA14 and should also be visible.
According to a recent article in Popular Mechanics, the best time for stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere to catch a view of 252P/LINEAR is between March 24 and 27, when it will travel through the tail of the constellation Scorpius...