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Jan 30, 2009 05:18 PM | 23
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Comet Lulin, just discovered in 2007 and making what might be its maiden swing through Earth's neighborhood, should be visible in the sky throughout much of next month, drawing closest to our planet on February 24.
The comet's parabolic orbit (trackable with this NASA Web app) seems to indicate an origin beyond the inner solar system—meaning it may be passing through for the first time.
The comet "should be a fairly easy object [to see with] modest amateur telescopes or even binoculars," Donald Yeomans, a comet and asteroid expert at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., told National Geographic. And, according to Sky & Telescope, Lulin "may even become detectable with the unaided eye in a dark, moonless sky." (There's some ambiguity in the projections of Lulin's brightness, since no historical precedent for such an approach exists and no one is sure how it will respond if this is, indeed, its first close encounter with the sun.)
Although Lulin should reach peak brightness in the night sky on February 24, Sky & Telescope readers are already reporting sightings of the comet in the morning sky. (The mag also has handy downloadable guides to where the comet should be in the sky on any given day.) So what are you waiting for? Grab those binocs out and go comet-gazing.
If you manage to catch Lulin on camera, comment on this post with links to your pics—or send them to us via Twitter at http://twitter.com/sciam—and we'll put together a collection of cometary candids. (We assembled a similar photo collection for January's perigee moon.)
PHOTO OF COMET HALE-BOPP IN 1997: CYNICAL PINK ON FLICKR
Tags:
new comet,
astronomy,
star-gazing,
Comet C/2007 N3,
amateur,
Lulin
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23 Comments
Add CommentIs this comet a coincidence that it comes at the same time as President Barrack Obama? I think it is a sign that God has sent him to save the world from itself and lead us into the promise land!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSpace being a bunch of objects in motion between which there is primarily nothing, a comets tail should point to the place of the comets origin. If you were to unwind all the distortions from know gravitational bodies, as they do with twisted little ribbons of light refracted around a million stars, you'd pass through the point where the comet was created. ...only to find the celestial bodies it came off of have moved, but still kinda fun to think about.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI wonder how big a comet would have to be to be a global killer.
Comet tails are pushed by the solar wind. They always point away from the sun.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisJesus said: My people, this sign of a comet coming close to the earth will come about on the very day of the Warning. The Warning will be an out of body life review for everyone on the earth at the same time. This comet will appear very close and brilliant because it will come inside the orbit of the moon with the earth. Many people will be frightened, thinking that it will hit the earth. The comets trajectory will be changed so that the next time that it returns, it will strike the earth as My Comet of Chastisement. Comets do not have to be very large to be seen because the gases are boiled off the surface by the suns heat. As a result, the comet will appear much larger that it actually is. After the Warning, events will lead up quickly to the declaration of the Antichrists reign. You will be working hard to convert souls to the faith before he takes power. Pray for My help so you can withstand this test of your faith in an evil that you have yet to see. My refuges will be your safe havens of protection from the evil ones.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHi.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisCould you specify where in the Bible,Jesus said that?What version?
Yours:Deacon.
I hope you told him to finish the lawn and trim the pegonias instead of rambling about the sky!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSoooooooo.......did He speak to you directly? or can you reference for us the book, chapter, and verses from whence this passage originates?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYes- may this be an omen of better times coming for us all as a planet.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMay it herald a new age of spiritual enlightenment, raise the level of consciousness, and bring about a more benign life for us all.
Oh Goodness - here we go with the comet crazies. Again! So,this time Obama has been sent by God, Jesus said this is an out of body Warning, and it's an omen for us all as a planet. I have 3 questions: Has the Pope been told that Obama is now his savior? Has Jesus been told that he's just lost out to Obama? And, has either of them been told that Comet Lulin is an omen that "us all" (I'm assuming that means "all humans") actually constitutes a planet? <sigh!>
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis is my first comment here but I can't resist...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHistorically the facts are, that comets are associated with bad things
happening, including the death of Chinese emperors and Kings in
England and elsewhere. Sorry but check your history, it's true.
One thing about the article makes little sense;
Comets are ice balls, they all originate outside the "inner" solar system. Asteroids are rocks that originate in the inner solar system.
I look forward to the point when it's orbit is verified and it's orbital period
is verified so we can find out when it might have come by last.
Jesus never said that. Try to live by what Jesus really said, " Love God, and love your neighbor as you love your self" as quoted by three of his disiples, Matthew 22: 37- 40, Mark 12: 29-31 and John 13: 33-35.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThink before you blog.
Jesus never said that. Try to live by what He really said, " Love God, and Love your neighbor as yourself.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThink before you blog.
CometChaser,
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"This is my first comment here but I can't resist...
Historically the facts are, that comets are associated with bad things"
The absence of a comet has been associated with good things.
The absence of a comet has also been associated with bad things.
The presence of a comet has been associated with good things.
In other words, good things and bad things happen regardless of the presence of a comet. suppose this is a comet that never becomes visible to the naked eye. With telescopes and other modern equipment, we can easily spot it. Does it cause bad things to happen to modern people, because of the awareness through technology?
Would it not affect pre-telescopic people, because they could not see it?
It is only our awareness of the comet that causes us to blame the comet for the bad things that have nothing to do with the comet. Do people not die, when there is no comet visible in the sky? Of course not. Do good things not happen, because there is no comet visible in the sky? Of course not. Our perception of a comet has nothing to do with whether good, or bad, things happen, unless someone goes out and harms people because of some belief in comets.
Perhaps CometChaser could enlighten us, for example, as to exactly what bad things are associated with comets C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake), Halley, C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp), 17P (Holmes) [Oct. 2007], C/1973 E1 (Kohoutek), C/2006 P1 (McNaught), C/2002 V1 (NEAT), or 153P/2002 C1 (Ikeya-Zhang)? These are just a very small sample of the brightest comets seen since 1935. There are many, many more, of course, which are listed here: http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/icq/brightest.html Keep in mind that on any particular day in human history, whether or not a comet was visible, there were bad things happening as well as good things - as the post above already explains. And again, does visibility matter - as in naked-eye, or only in binoculars, or only in telescopes? Sorry, CometChaser, but I think You need to check your history.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisi love this site, i dont mind religon but i have to agree with the last couple blogers bad stuff happens ever day, and good. dont just write it off as the comet is going to change us (good or bad) still hold ourselfs responseable for our personal actions!!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisLulin - NASA calls it - but world and history calls it Nibiru
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this1. NASA has declared it day before yesterday the size of Lulin -- it is 5,00,000 km -- almost 4 times bigger than Jupiter. (means almost 75 times bigger than our Earth )
2. Its closing in speed is 2,00,000 km per hour -- 48 lakh km per day.
3. Distance between Earth and Sun is 1 AU. and lulin is maintaining a distance of approx 1.2 to 1.4 AU away from Sun. So, on 24 Feb 09 -- it will be close to the earth at a distance of 0.2 to 0.4 AU ONLY -- (Jupiter distance from earth is 5.2 AU)
4. REST U CAN IMAGINE - WHAT THIS BODY CAN DO TO EARTH -- 4 TIMES BIGGER AND 11 TIMES CLOSER THAN JUPITER.
HAVE A NICE DAY!
Lulin - NASA calls it - but world and history calls it Nibiru
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this1. NASA has declared it day before yesterday the size of Lulin -- it is 5,00,000 km -- almost 4 times bigger than Jupiter. (means almost 75 times bigger than our Earth )
2. Its closing in speed is 2,00,000 km per hour -- 48 lakh km per day.
3. Distance between Earth and Sun is 1 AU. and lulin is maintaining a distance of approx 1.2 to 1.4 AU away from Sun. So, on 24 Feb 09 -- it will be close to the earth at a distance of 0.2 to 0.4 AU ONLY -- (Jupiter distance from earth is 5.2 AU)
4. REST U CAN IMAGINE - WHAT THIS BODY CAN DO TO EARTH -- 4 TIMES BIGGER AND 11 TIMES CLOSER THAN JUPITER.
HAVE A NICE DAY!
yes where exactly did u see that in the Word
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPyramids, how built
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIs it possible a huge asteroid or comet crashed into the moon slowing it down just making it tumble and then being caught between the gravities of earth and the moon allowing the building of the pyramids around the world due to reduced gravities as the asteroid or comet and moon pasted overhead?
If it were a comet made of ice, the disappearance into or atmosphere would be logical as it would evaporate as pieces were pulled in by the Earth’s gravity
Lulin's green color comes from the gases that make up its Jupiter-sized atmosphere.It is really something speciala to see lulin through binocular or telescope[url=http://www.binocularsbest.net/]Night Vision Binoculars[/url]
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisLulin's green color comes from the gases that make up its Jupiter-sized atmosphere.The wispy tail of the comet couldn't penetrate Earth's dense atmosphere; even it if had penetrated, there wasn't enough cyanogen to cause real trouble
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisn's green color comes from the gases that make up its Jupiter-sized atmosphere.The wispy tail of the comet couldn't penetrate Earth's dense atmosphere; even it if had penetrated, there wasn't enough cyanogen to cause real trouble[url=http://www.binocularsbest.net/]Astronomical Binoculars[/url]
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOnly an idiot would read an article about a comet and somehow try linking that to God
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this