PANSTARRS

Brightest Comet K2 Is Passing By Earth Today

Grab your binoculars: A comet that has fascinated scientists for five years approaches its closest distance from Earth this week—and you might be able to catch a glimpse. There’s a chance of spotting the C/2017 K2 PANSTARRS comet, also called K2, on Thursday as it makes its final pass through the solar system, said David Jewitt, an Earth, planetary, and space sciences professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.