Will Comet Ikeya-Zhang brighten, fade away, hit the Sun, or hit the Earth?
A newly discovered comet, now approaching the sun and Earth, could develop into a relatively bright naked-eye object in coming weeks, researchers say. The best views of the comet may be reserved for those under dark skies far from bright lights, but even city dwellers should be able to spot it. KAORU IKEYA of Japan and Daqing Zhang from China first sighted the comet in the constellation Cetus, the Whale, on Feb. 1. Both described it as a weak, condensed glow in their telescopes with no mention of a tail. The comet is called Ikeya-Zhang. The latest orbit calculation indicates it will pass closest to the sun, a point called perihelion, on March 18 at a distance of 47.1 million miles (75.8 million kilometers). After rounding the sun, the comet will continue moving toward Earth, making its closest approach to our planet, called perigee, on April 28, when it will be 37.6 million miles (60.5 million kilometers) away. As Ikeya-Zhang nears the Sun and the Earth, there is a danger that the grav
