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Weekend could provide comet viewing

PASADENA, Calif., March 8 (UPI) -- A comet may become visible to the naked eye in the Northern Hemisphere starting late Friday and may be brighter in the following days, astronomers say.

The comet dubbed C/2011 L4 Pan-STARRS was discovered in June 2011 by the Pan-STARRS telescope in Hawaii when it was hundreds of millions of miles from Earth.

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As the comet brightens with the passage of day, next Tuesday and Wednesday could be the best viewing opportunity, astronomers said, and sky watchers should look in a western direction after sunset as the comet will share the sky with a thin crescent moon.

"There is a catch to viewing Comet Pan-STARRS," Amy Mainzer, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., said in a statement Thursday. "This one is not that bright and is going to be low on the western horizon, so you'll need a relatively unobstructed view to the southwest at twilight and, of course, some good comet-watching weather."

Scientists said they believe the comet is non-periodic, meaning this could be the first time it has passed through the inner solar system.

The head of the comet is estimated to be 12-18 miles in diameter but the gas and dust streaming from the comet as it gets close to the sun could stretch for more 600,000 miles.

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