By Dan Hicks

Aglow low in our western sky, Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks now has a marker beacon in mighty Planet Jupiter, but before any further cometary commentary, I will address the minor matter of Cranbrook’s partial solar eclipse of April 8 in which the moon will eclipse a mere 26% of the sun’s diameter (much less than our October 2023 partial solar eclipse).

So I trust that we will escape succumbing to any total eclipse hysteria about a major astronomical event which has only a minor relevance to us here in northwestern North America.

A weirdly mysterious aspect to the comet and eclipse combined is our public broadcaster’s hyping the eclipse here in British Columbia, yet doggedly ignoring our celestial ice-ball visitor adorning the heavens above us – strange days indeed.

Lead image: On its heavenly journey toward the sun, Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks passes star Hamal in the constellation Aries ; image captured from June Lake, California via tracking with 356 mm Celestron C14 HyperStar telescope, March 30th, 2024; Dan Bartlett. Skyandtelescope.org – Editor’s Choice + Astrobin.com The photographer “stacked ” 25 consecutive images, of 30 seconds duration each. Images submitted

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