I have hopeful news. On Dec. 28, 2019, astronomers with the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) survey discovered a faint comet named C/2019 Y4 ATLAS. Back in mid-late February I glimpsed it my 15-inch telescope as a dim, hazy patch of light at the edge of visibility in the bowl of the Big Dipper. A couple weeks later it had brightened to magnitude 11 — still dim but much easier to see than in February. Now in mid-March, skywatchers with big binoculars have spotted it at around 9th magnitude! That's a remarkable uptick in so short a time.
According to NASA's Horizons website the comet could exceed Venus in brightness when it passes just 23 million miles (37 million km) from the sun on May 31st. We won't see it then because it will be lost in the solar glare only about a fist (10°) from the sun days before and days after. But at least we should get a decent show before and after closest approach.
There is optimism. ATLAS follows along the same orbit as the Great Comet of 1844 (C/1844 Y1) and appears to be a fragment of it. C/1844 Y1 became a fine 2nd magnitude object with a 10° tail in January 1845. Because of its rapidly increasing brightness hopes are high, but if you've had any experience with comets before you know they're little devils. Some live up to predictions, some exceed them and others flop. Comets are prone to "outbursts" and fragmentation which can produce lots of fresh dust and ice, causing them to brighten temporarily. Other times, those pieces quickly go poof and the comet suddenly fades.
Comment: The brightness of a comet is due to its electrical properties. Recent space expeditions to asteroids have shown them to be 'surprisingly' dry and others have been to shown to flare.
For the moment it appears the comet could reach 2nd magnitude by mid-May when it will be visible during evening twilight low in the northwestern sky in the constellation Perseus. Its northerly location in the sky at that time will mean that observers in the northern U.S. will have the best views. If the comet is especially dusty, viewing circumstances are such that we would see an attractive tail instead of a simple fuzzball. Be hopeful but as always, temper your expectations.
A couple weeks before perihelion the comet will likely disappear in the solar glare and then reappear at dawn in late June in Orion for southern hemisphere skywatchers. ATLAS will be very low in the eastern sky at the time and glow between 3rd and 5th magnitude.
Right now, you're best off looking with a 6-inch telescope from a dark sky. I've provided a map that shows its track across Ursa Major near the Bowl of the Big Dipper. If ATLAS continues to brighten apace it will soon be visible in binoculars. When that happens I promise to return with more news, observations and photos!
So far as I've seen in this life,(e.g., Halley's, plus whatever other supposed naked-eye comets), have been duds.
RC
*I hope. After all, visible comets have always been taken as an ** - a cosmic warning of impending disaster.)
*I'm blanking on the word. Supernatural warning; an "Ar..."