Comet to be Seen in Bay Area

Bay area stargazers may be able to catch a glimpse of a comet.

A rare astrological occurrence is in store for sky-watchers in the Bay Area.

A dirty ball of ice and dust, visible to the naked eye. In other words, a comet.

The comet is expected to be visible all week, according to astronomers interviewed by the San Jose Mercury News.

Look for the comet flying low in the western horizon, 30 minutes after sunset, which is set to happen between 7:10 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. this week. But twilight may make the comet hard to see; if it's not seen one night in that time window, comet-gazers will have to wait another 24 hours.

This particular comet is named Pan-STARRS, after the bank of telescopes and cameras on a volcano in Hawaii that first spotted it in 2011.
 

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