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Viewers in the Northen Hemisphere are just catching their first glimpses of Comet 2011/L4 Pan-STARRS. Those in the south have been able to see both it and Comet C/2012 F6 Lemon for the last few weeks but the comet’s orbit has only just put it above the horizon in the North. By coincidence, the comet has just had its closest approach to the Sun. The orbit of the comet suggests that this may be its first and perhaps only pass close to the Sun before it is flung out in to interstellar space.

Comet Pan-STARRS photographed from Australia by Terry Lovejoy.

Comet Pan-STARRS was discovered in 2011 by astronomers using the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope on Haleakala in Hawai`i. Since then astronomers have been tracking its orbit as it moves through the inner Solar System. If you are wanting to see it now, Universe Today has a nice guide on where to look.

Also Eli Bressert has put together a short video on how to locate it using planetarium software,

Finally if you are on Oahu then why not pop down to the Institute for Astronomy’s public viewing event on the 12th of March at Magic Island

As part of last month’s consortium meeting in Hawai`i, astronomers got the chance to visit the telescope that’s been keeping them busy over the last few years. Here’s what they saw on the trip….

The Pan-STARRS1 Telescope (right). The left-hand dome is currently being cleared for the construction of a second Pan-STARRS telescope. Credit: Douglas Finkbeiner

The power behind Pan-STARRS - world's largest digital camera. Credit: Douglas Finkbeiner

No this isn't a trampoline used by astronomers when the weather is bad. This screen is used to calibrate the PS1 telescope. Credit: Douglas Finkbeiner

The primary mirror of the PS1 telescope. Credit: Douglas Finkbeiner

Some Belfast supernova-hunters pose inside the dome. Credit: Douglas Finkbeiner

Telescope Manager Jeff points out the small telescope attached to PS1 that's used to monitor the transparency of the night sky. Credit: Douglas Finkbeiner

In the Telescope control room at IfA Maui the visting astronomers where shown how PS1 observations are scheduled and carried out. Credit:Douglas Finkbeiner

And here's the happy (and slightly windswept) group. Credit: Laura Fiorentino

Stephan's Quintet, a beautiful group of galaxies in Pegasus. Credit: Nigel Metcalfe/PS1SC

This month we are in the constellation of Pegasus looking at one of the most famous groups of galaxies in the sky. Stephan’s Quintet is an arrangement of five spectacular galaxies. Four of these are a physically associated group while one (the largest in the image NGC 7320) actually lies much closer. Note the galaxy with too nuclei, this is actually two galaxies in the process of colliding.

Today we have the slot for the daily podcast series 365 Days of Astronomy. We chat with Ken Chambers about the Pan-STARRS1 telescope, ask Larry Denneau what PS1 is doing to find killer asteroids and find out about new, distant and extremely luminous supernovae being found in the survey from Stephen Smartt. Additionally there are short snippets outlining giving a flavour of the broad range of science topics PS1 is being used for.

You can listen to the audio here.

Just to note that Pan-STARRS1 had a special session at the AAS meeting on Monday afternoon. A nice summary of some of the results mentioned can be found in this twitter stream. If you are interested in finding out more then Nick Kaiser is doing a plenary talk at 8:30am on Tuesday and there is a PS1 booth located outside the Essex Ballroom.