Discovered by Japanese amateur astronomer Kaoru Ikeya on January 2, 1963, Comet Ikeya was visible to the naked eye from February to March and on February 24 was as bright as a 3.5-magnitude star. The comet developed a prominent tail which was long as 13º on March 12.

This photo, which tracked Comet Ikeya during a ten-minute exposure, was made through a 24-inch telescope at Yerkes Observatory.

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This page was last updated on 04/22/2018.