Discovered in images taken by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory's SWAN (Solar Wind Anisotropies) camera on March 25th by Australian amateur Michael Mattiazzo the comet has brightened by leaps and bounds. As of May 5th, the newcomer had climbed to magnitude 5.2 with a 1° visual tail that lengthens to a luxurious 6–8° in photographs.
Comet SWAN (C/2020 F8) displays a spectacular ion tail about 8° long pointing southwest on May 2nd.
Photo credit/Damian Peach
Southern Hemisphere observers have the best seats for viewing the comet in early May but that will change as SWAN moves rapidly northward. This week, observers in the southern U.S. should get their first glimpse of the comet very low in the eastern sky during morning twilight as it speeds from Cetus into Pisces. The comet's height above the eastern horizon will vary depending on latitude, with more northerly latitudes favored from about May 20th through early June. Peak magnitude of 2.8 is expected around May 21st.
While northern viewers will get a modest altitude bump, twilight also begins earlier — 2 to 2½ hours before sunrise compared to 1 ½ hours for the southern U.S. — so any elevation gains may well be offset by skyglow.
This montage shows the increase in brightness and complexity of Comet SWAN between April 13th and 30th of this year when its magnitude brightened from 7.8 to 5.2.
Photo credit/Justin Tilbrook
On May 12th the comet will breeze some 83 million kilometers (52 million miles) from Earth and come to perihelion on May 27th at a distance of 64 million kilometers (40 million miles) from the Sun. During the second week of May SWAN will stand just a few degrees high in the eastern sky 90 minutes to 2 hours before sunrise for the central U.S. By May 21st its altitude increases to around 5° and subsequently declines at month's end.
The comet rides a rollercoaster from Cetus to Auriga in just three and a half weeks. Its position is marked each day at 0h UT. Subtract 4 hours to convert UT to Eastern Time; 5 hours for Central; 6 hours for Mountain; and 7 for Pacific while also moving the date back one day. For example: 0h UT May 15th = 8 p.m. on May 14th EDT.
The comet also has an evening sky apparition that overlaps with its morning appearance. From about May 23rd to June 10th observers at mid-northern latitudes can catch the comet in a dark sky at the end of evening twilight as it glides from eastern Perseus into Auriga. On the 23rd it will only stand about 3° high at dusk's end but that increases to 7° by the 28th. The northern U.S. will have a slightly longer period of visibility. Although SWAN fades from magnitude 2.8 to 5 during this time it's visible during convenient evening hours and with less twilight interference.
If you're out at dawn find a location with a view as close to the east-northeastern horizon as possible. Evening observers will need to secure a spot with a horizon to the north-northwest.
This map depicts the comet's evening apparition from 40°N latitude. The bright stars Capella and Mirfak will help point the way. Positions are marked every three nights at 10:30 p.m. CDT.
The altitudes above refer to the head of the comet but it's likely that SWAN will develop a long, bright tail pointing up and away from the Sun. What a beautiful sight that would make in binoculars! Not to mention a tempting target for wide-field astrophotography. Comet SWAN makes several close passes of deep-sky objects and bright stars during its run, including a near miss of the 10th-magnitude galaxy NGC 925 in Triangulum (May 17th).
It comes within 0.5° of Algol on the 20th and then sails 1° south of Capella on June 2nd.
[Unquote]
Okay, you "Fixed Star" freaks... what does a conjunction with Algol imply...!?!?