1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Time to go comet watching!!!!

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by Sufferin' Prius Envy, Oct 26, 2007.

  1. Sufferin' Prius Envy

    Sufferin' Prius Envy Platinum Member

    Joined:
    Jul 7, 2004
    3,998
    18
    0
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    On October 24th, Comet Holmes (17P) exploded a million-fold from a measly 17th-magnitude, telescope only nothing, into a bright, new, naked eye (even in light polluted cities), magnitude 2.5 star, shining yellow-orange in Perseus.

    Don't expect to see a long tail as we are, and will be, 'looking down the barrel of the riffle' because we on the Earth are situated between the Sun and the comet, which makes the tail head away from us due to the solar wind.

    Happy viewing to those so interested. :)

    http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/home/10775326.html
     
    #1 Sufferin' Prius Envy, Oct 26, 2007
  2. Godiva

    Godiva AmeriKan Citizen

    Joined:
    Apr 8, 2005
    10,339
    14
    0
    Location:
    San Diego, CA
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Does this mean it's going to hit us?
     
    #2 Godiva, Oct 26, 2007
  3. moxiequz

    moxiequz Weirdo Social Outcast

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2007
    2,781
    19
    1
    Location:
    Bay Area, CA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Oct 26 2007, 03:58 PM) [snapback]530917[/snapback]</div>
    Nah - that extra thick layer of pollution will cause it to burn up in the atmosphere and what's ever left will be no bigger than a chihuahua's head.
     
    #3 moxiequz, Oct 26, 2007
  4. Carbon Blob

    Carbon Blob Junior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 1, 2006
    5
    0
    0
    Location:
    Florida
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(moxiequz @ Oct 26 2007, 07:12 PM) [snapback]530923[/snapback]</div>
    And if you're wrong, may we all be horribly crushed from above somehow.
     
    #4 Carbon Blob, Oct 26, 2007
  5. Danny Hamilton

    Danny Hamilton Active Member

    Joined:
    Apr 30, 2007
    926
    94
    0
    Location:
    Greater Chicagoland Area
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Oct 26 2007, 05:58 PM) [snapback]530917[/snapback]</div>
    Nope, not even close.

    It is orbiting the sun and never crosses path with the Earths orbit.

    It just means that in its current position as viewed from the earth it is on the opposite side from the sun.

    The tail does not trail behind the comet's direction of travel, it always trails away from the sun no matter which direction the comet is traveling.

    If you think of a circular track, and think of the earth rounding on the inside, the comet is passing us on the outside (way, way outside) like further away than mars, and the sun is in the center of the track.

    Since the tail trails directly away from the sun, it also trails directly away from us right now. This puts the tail behind the coma and therefore we can't see the tail right now from earth.
     
    #5 Danny Hamilton, Oct 26, 2007
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)