Comet Pan STARRS Visible With Unaided Eye When It Nears Perihelion

Comet Pan STARRS will be bright enough to be seen without using any instrument when it nears perihelion.

Comet Pan STARRS on March 2013 (Photo courtesy of NASA)

Astronomers say the comet is expected to be visible with the unaided eye as it passes through perihelion within the orbit of Mercury next week.

To find giant melting snowball Pan STARRS, sky enthusiasts should look toward the western horizon just after sunset, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Comet Pan STARRS will be most visible Sunday through Tuesday, March 10-12, left of a very narrow crescent moon, reports say.

Officially known as Comet C/2011 L4, Pan STARRS was discovered was discovered using the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System in June 2011. It is believed to have visited Earth for the first time after being gravitationally bumped out from the Oort Cloud, a swarm of icy bodies located beyond Pluto in the solar system's back yard.