Sneak PeakFalling in toward the sun from the frigid, outer reaches of the solar system, comet Pan-STARRS takes center stage in the evening skies over Earth this month.Astrophotographers down under, like Alex Cherney from Melbourne, Australia (map), were the first to capture bright images (pictured) last week when the comet was still approaching the sun.Starting March 10, the comet entered Northern Hemisphere skies and is expected to brighten even further as dust and gas is shed from its icy surface—the material will eventually grow into a tail.Pan-STARRS was discovered, and named, by an asteroid survey program in Hawaii, which first spotted it in 2011 while the comet was still cruising between the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn. Two years later, it has brightened a million fold and has survived its close encounter with the sun without breaking up—which bodes well for skywatchers. (Read about the age of comets in National Geographic magazine.)—Andrew Fazekas
Photograph by Alex Cherney, TWAN

Pictures: Comet Pan-STARRS Debuts in Southern Hemisphere

Photographers catch the comet in its nightly glory in the southern hemisphere.

Published March 13, 2013