Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova will be near the moon on New Year's Eve - NASA

[ffr]

If you were hoping it would hit Earth and end the nightmare-to-be, come January 20th, 2017, you're in for more disappointment.

The comet, NASA said, was expected to appear in the western horizon on Dec. 15 and had a bluish-green head by Dec. 21. The comet is a periodic comet, which returns to the inner solar system about every 5 years. - USA Today

[still_one]

1. nah, just one very specific spot

[ffr]

2. haha

Then we can hope for a small particle to happen to fall as Earth crosses its or other moving bodies' paths. Truly even more divine than being struck by lightning.

[elleng]

3. 'Several media stories that a comet will be near Earth and visible in the west after sunset

on New Year’s Eve. It’s true that Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdušáková is in the west after sunset now. It’s not there only on New Year’s Eve, but has been there for some weeks. But visible? That depends on your definition of the word. Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdušáková is currently estimated at 6th magnitude. That’s barely within the limit for visibility with the unaided eye. A diffuse object, like a comet, at that brightness will be even tougher to see. You will need an extremely dark sky (a tough sky to find in the twilight direction, shortly after sunset) and likely optical aid (at least binoculars, probably a telescope) to see this comet.

There is an extremely bright object in that same part of the sky now. It’s the planet Venus. Many will likely look westward after sunset, see Venus, and think they’re seeing the comet.

http://earthsky.org/space/comet-45phonda-mrkos-pajdusakova-new-years-eve