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Comet Machholz will remain visible to northern hemisphere observers for several weeks to come. The comet is starting to fade a little as it moves farther from Earth. Machholz will be circumpolar during February, March, and April as it dims from magnitude 4 or 5 to 9. It will be within 6 degrees of Polaris for more than a week around 11 March. It should remain visible in binoculars at least through February and in a telescope at least through May.
Don Machholz of Colfax, California, discovered the comet (his 10th find since he started comet-hunting in 1975) on 27 August last year. Unlike many comets, Machholz C/2004 Q2 has remained in dark skies, avoiding twilight, and dusk or dawn horizons because it never came near the Sun. In fact, the comet�s entire orbit lies outside of Earth�s.
More info: Sky and Telescope
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