APOD: 2020 November 12 - Comet ATLAS and Orion s Belt

Good morning, Rallypoint. Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) is titled "Comet ATLAS and Orion's Belt." The ATLAS telescope system – two telescopes being developed by University of Hawaii as an asteroid or comet impact early warning system – was the first to spot Comet C/2020 M3 (Atlas) on June 27, 2020. The comet reached its perihelion, or closest approach to the sun, on October 25. Now the comet is heading for its closest approach to Earth, which will be this Saturday, November 14th.

C/2020 M3 is currently in the constellation Orion. This image is inverted for viewers in the Northern Hemisphere. The comet will be near the star Bellatrix (Orion's left shoulder) on Saturday. As the write-up for today's APOD indicates, you'll need binoculars.