This comet was discovered by the Pan-STARRS survey telescope on Haleakala. It is a very long period comet, with an orbital period greater than 100,000 years. It passed closest to the Sun (perihelion) on March 8, 2013, at which point it became visible to northern hemisphere observers just after sunset. It was an attractive binocular object, just visible to the naked eye under good sky conditions. In May it developed a long antitail, although at this point it was a telescopic object only.

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