Skywatch

By cosmic coincidence, two truly spectacular events will occur in space on February 24. Both are of exceptional beauty.

Catch a Comet
A newly discovered comet is approaching Earth for the first time. Comet Lulin, discovered in 2007, is a rare comet that glows green!

On Feb. 24, Comet Lulin will reach peak brightness and pass closest to Earth, just a few degrees from bright Saturn. In dark skies, this green beauty should be visible all night, with the best viewing time before dawn.

Rare View of Saturn's Four Moons
Also tomorrow, there will be a quadruple transit of Saturn's moons! All four moons will pass in front of Saturn, and we'll see their shadows dotting Saturn's disk.

The orbits of the moons are nearly edge-on to Earth, allowing even backyard astronomers a view with only a small telescope. Photographers may get the photo-op of a lifetime. The event begins on Tuesday at 5:54 A.M.

From Old Farmers Almanac