Once enough observations had been made to precisely calculate its orbit around the Sun, astronomers realized it would reach perihelion, its closest point to the Sun, on September 10, 2011. Its closest approach to the Earth will be on October 16 when it passes only 22 million miles from us. Based on these calculations and on how bright it was at the time, in January astronomers projected it would be just visible to the naked eye starting in mid-September. But comets are notoriously fickle; some brighten as predicted as they fall in towards the Sun but some don’t live up to predictions. Unfortunately, Comet Elenin is in the latter category. Impressions now are that around closest approach Elenin may be visible through binoculars under ideal dark sky conditions. Then again, some comets have pleasantly surprised us by flaring into naked eye brightness unexpectedly. So, keep your fingers crossed and your binoculars handy. Astronomers at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute in Rosman note that Comet Elenin is currently in front of the constellation of Leo the lion. This places it very low in the west after sunset. A finder chart can be located on the Internet at http://cometchasing.skyhound.com/comets/2010_X1.pdf About PARI PARI is a public not-for-profit public foundation established in 1998. Located in the Pisgah National Forest southwest of Asheville, NC, PARI offers educational programs at all levels, from K-12 through post-graduate research. For more information about PARI and its programs, visit www.pari.edu. Follow PARI on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Astronomy_PARI. “Like” PARI on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Pisgah.Astronomical.Research.Institute.