More recently though such observations have become impossible. This led to the suggestion that the comet was fading away and would die in the near future in fact, a date of 1994 was set as the probable date of death. This allowed the comet to be seen during those apparitions when it made a close approach to the Earth before perihelion. Now, the light curve s maximum has shifted and is symmetric, naked eye sightings are impossible. This means that every three returns the Earth and comet are in the same relative positions.
Every third return is a particularly good one, with the comet close to the Earth before perihelion.
We also find that one in every three returns is a rather poor one, and this is the case in 2000. The 2000 Return Perihelion is reached on September 9th, with the comet exactly behind the Sun and at just 2 degrees elongation. Although it theoretically reaches magnitude 5.7, the comet will be impossible to observe for several weeks around maximum brightness. This contrasts with the 2003 return, which will be a very good one, with the comet passing close to the Earth just before perihelion. From late August to late September the comet s elongation will be below 25 degrees and the comet totally impossible to observe.