This icy fuzzball is floating through Aquila, not far from the famous Coathanger asterism in Vulpecula the Fox.

| Published: November 9, 2026

Comet Hartley-IRAS is crossing an extremely crowded portion of the sky, but its green glow should give it away in astrophotos. Credit: Astronomy: Roen Kelly

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November 8: Io and Callisto race across Jupiter

Dark skies make tonight the perfect opportunity to try spotting Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS, still nearly 50° above the western horizon two hours after sunset.

Glowing around 10th magnitude, the comet is currently located in far northern Aquila, near the Eagle’s border with Sagitta the Arrow. You can use Aquila’s bright luminary, Altair, to guide your way — the comet floats 7.7° north-northeast of this star. A closer but fainter guide is 4th-magnitude Alpha (α) Sagittae, just 2.3° north of the comet’s position tonight.…