C/2012 K1 PANSTARRS
Closest to Sun on 27 August 2014 at 1.05AU
Closest to Earth on 1 November 2014 at 0.95AU
Maximum magnitude 6.5 in October 2014
Was dynamically new comet arriving at perihelion on
2014 August 27 at a distance of 1.05AU from the Sun.
Alas, It was on the solar far side at perihelion.
However, since the orbit was retrograde, it made an Earth pass on November 1
at 0.95AU which saw the comet reach magnitude 6.5 for us
southerners.
At the start of June, the comet was situated in Ursa Major, low in the
North-Western evening sky, suffering from moonlight interference until the 15th.
On the evening of the 16-17th, the comet was situated very close to 21 Leo
Minoris, about 14 degrees elevation at 6:30pm.
On the 23rd, the comet moved into Leo. The strongly condensed object appeared
magnitude 8.0 with a short dust tail in telescopes.
July was the last opportunity to observe it prior to perihelion, before being
lost in evening twilight.
At the start of the month, the comet was situated in Leo, low in the
North-Western evening sky, at 10 degrees altitude around 6:45pm.
Viewing suffered from moonlight interference and by the time it disappeared on
the 14th, the comet was only 4 degrees above the horizon at end
of astronomical twilight at 6:45pm
The comet reached Solar Conjunction on August 10.
At the start of November, comet PANSTARRS was at its
brightest, situated in Pictor, some 5 degrees north of Canopus.
Moonlight interfered until November 9.
On this evening, the now magnitude 7 comet was situated in Dorado,
adjacent
to the galaxy group of NGC 1566, 1549 and 1553 as seen below
On November 14, it was 1 degree south of globular star cluster NGC 1261 in Horologium.
On November 23, the comet was 5 degrees North of Achenar in Eridanus, located
high in southern evening skies.
By December 1, the now magnitude 9 comet was situated in Phoenix, 1.5
degrees south of Beta Phe.
It had a close approach to edge on galaxy NCG 55 on the night of December 18 as
seen in the image below.