Comet making closest approach ever of Earth
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - A recently discovered comet is closer than it's ever been to Earth, and stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere finally get to see it.
Called Pan-STARRS, the comet passed within 100 million miles of Earth on Tuesday, its closest approach in its first-ever cruise through the inner solar system. The ice ball will get even nearer the sun this weekend - just 28 million miles from the sun and within the orbit of Mercury.
The comet has been visible for weeks from the Southern Hemisphere. Now the top half of the world gets a glimpse as well.
The best viewing days should be next Tuesday and Wednesday, when Pan-STARRS appears next to a crescent moon at dusk in the western sky. Until then, glare from the sun will obscure the comet.
California astronomer Tony Phillips said the comet's proximity to the moon will make it easier for novice sky watchers to find it. Binoculars likely will be needed for the best viewing, he said, warning onlookers to avoid pointing them at the setting sun.
"Wait until the sun is fully below the horizon to scan for the comet in the darkening twilight," Phillips advised in an email sent from his home and observatory in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Pan-STARRS' name is actually an acronym for the Hawaiian telescope used to spot it two years ago: the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System. The volcano-top telescope is on constant prowl for dangerous asteroids and comets that might be headed our way.
Thought to be billions of years old, the comet originated in the distant Oort cloud - a cloud of icy bodies well beyond the orbits of Neptune and Pluto - and somehow got propelled toward the inner solar system. It's never passed by Earth before, Phillips said.
A much brighter comet show, meanwhile, is on the way.
Comet ISON may come close to outshining the moon in November. It was discovered last September by Russian astronomers and got its acronym name from the International Scientific Optical Network.
Neither Pan-STARRS nor ISON pose a threat to Earth, according to scientists.
Called Pan-STARRS, the comet passed within 100 million miles of Earth on Tuesday, its closest approach in its first-ever cruise through the inner solar system. The ice ball will get even nearer the sun this weekend - just 28 million miles from the sun and within the orbit of Mercury.
The comet has been visible for weeks from the Southern Hemisphere. Now the top half of the world gets a glimpse as well.
The best viewing days should be next Tuesday and Wednesday, when Pan-STARRS appears next to a crescent moon at dusk in the western sky. Until then, glare from the sun will obscure the comet.
California astronomer Tony Phillips said the comet's proximity to the moon will make it easier for novice sky watchers to find it. Binoculars likely will be needed for the best viewing, he said, warning onlookers to avoid pointing them at the setting sun.
"Wait until the sun is fully below the horizon to scan for the comet in the darkening twilight," Phillips advised in an email sent from his home and observatory in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Pan-STARRS' name is actually an acronym for the Hawaiian telescope used to spot it two years ago: the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System. The volcano-top telescope is on constant prowl for dangerous asteroids and comets that might be headed our way.
Thought to be billions of years old, the comet originated in the distant Oort cloud - a cloud of icy bodies well beyond the orbits of Neptune and Pluto - and somehow got propelled toward the inner solar system. It's never passed by Earth before, Phillips said.
A much brighter comet show, meanwhile, is on the way.
Comet ISON may come close to outshining the moon in November. It was discovered last September by Russian astronomers and got its acronym name from the International Scientific Optical Network.
Neither Pan-STARRS nor ISON pose a threat to Earth, according to scientists.
darned rain
"comet passed within 100 million miles of Earth on Tuesday, its closest approach in its first-ever cruise through the inner solar system"
Marcia, Marcia, Marcia. Â The first ever approach is necessarily the closest approach. Â That's how that aerospace thingee works. Â
@Opus8no5 Actually what they meant is that it will be 100 million miles at its closest distance from Earth, regardless of how many times it visited our inner solar system.
OK..I'm getting the 25x100 binoculars I've always wanted for ISON.Â
Word is that comet ISON will not only outshine a full moon, but may be the first comet visible during daylight hours in over 400 years. The bad news for Puget Sound, the peak show will start around November 28th - when we're dark, cloudy, and gloomy.
@Howard Beale When AREN'T we dark, cloudy and gloomy? lol
Outshine the Moon? Holy crap that's going to be awesome
@Lrry*x*K Indeed, it will be! ISON's going to be a really energetic comet - one of the brightest in recent history. It's expected to be in the sky for quite a while, too - it'll be visible by the naked eye around a month before it reaches its "full-moon-brightness" peak when it's at its closest to Sol (both in space & the sky). Of course, with it being so energenic, it may end up breaking up when it's finishing its trip round Sol, but hopefully it'll survive the trip so we get to wave goodbye to it there at the end of the year! :D
EDIT: Checked up on ISON to get my info right.
@coolpilotmc @Lrry*x*K Yup - it may be possible that it will be visible in daylight - the first comet since the 1600's!
@Howard Beale @coolpilotmc @Lrry*x*K Well, assuming Sol doesn't drown it out, it will be visible during the day. After all, Luna is visible during the day, so something that is a bright as that will be, as well. Good thing, too, since comets are always their brightest when they are closest to Sol, and thus could only be viewed at dawn, day, and dusk. ;)
well except Komo weather reports it's going to be raining next Tuesday - Wednesday. :(
I hope it's clear. I love this kind of stuff, but it's usually cloudy when the way cool stuff happens.
@laceagateI agree. I remember seeing Haley's comet when I was a child and it was really interesting.
@rightandexact @laceagate I saw that when I was a kid I was in the country in central US and had a excellent view... I'll hope for the best next week
That's great news for a change... something positive! Yippee.....