Remarkably, both the comet and the galaxy are visible to the unaided eye -- at least for anyone with clear, dark skies far from the pall of city lights. The view through binoculars or a small telescope should be especially rewarding, as these two celestial spectacles crowd into the same field of view.

According to Sky & Telescope magazine, on that evening the comet passes within 1.5 degrees of the galaxy's center. Comet Ikeya-Zhang will then be 82 million kilometers (51 million miles) from Earth, while the Andromeda Galaxy lies 300 billion times farther away (2.5 million light-years).

Even though it passed closest to the Sun on March 18th, Comet Ikeya-Zhang has remained steady in brightness for the past two weeks, delighting skywatchers with its starlike nucleus and delicate, wispy tail.

Related Links More at Sky & Telescope SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express SKY NIGHTLY Last Chance To See Comet Ikeya-Zhang Los Angeles - Mar 31, 2002 Night owls and early birds can catch a glimpse of Comet Ikeya-Zhang as it passes by Earth in the next few weeks on its four-century journey around the Sun.