=START=   XMT: 13:19 Fri Jan 26  EXP: 13:00 Fri Feb 02

NEWLY DISCOVERED COMET APPROACHING EARTH, CHILEAN ASTRONOMERS SAY

SANTIAGO (JAN. 26) - Astronomers in Chile have discovered and photographed one
of the brightest comets ever seen and said it is heading towards earth.

The comet, dubbed +Austin 1989 C1+ by scientists who first spotted it on
January 18, could contribute signficantly to our knowledge of Halley's Comet,
astronomer Rolando Vega said Friday.

According to the calculations of the astronomers at the La Silla observatory,
located 600 km north of Santiago, Austin will become visible to the naked eye
during mid-March.

Traveling at a speed of some 147 million kph, it is expected to pass closest to
our solar system on April 9, when it will be 150 million kilometers from the
earth. The comet will be most visible right before sunrise between April 8 and
April 16 in the triangle of Andromeda.

At this time, the comet should look as bright as the brightest star in the
constellation of Scorpio and slightly dimmer than Orion, Vega said.

Austin, presently situated some 300 million kilometers from earth, has so far
showed up only on computer image screens, but will be observable by telescope
beginning next month.

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