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Dark Energy Camera Takes Accidental Gigantic, Magnificent Picture of Comet Lovejoy
universetoday.com ^
| Nancy Atkinson
Posted on 02/27/2015 11:32:31 AM PST by BenLurkin
On December 27, 2014, while the Dark Energy Survey was scanning the southern sky, C2014 Q2 entered the camera’s view. Each of the rectangular shapes above represents one of the 62 individual fields of the camera.
At the time this image was taken, the comet was passing about 82 million km (51 million miles) from Earth. That’s a short distance for the Dark Energy Camera, which is sensitive to light up to 8 billion light years away. The comet’s center is a ball of ice roughly 5 km (3 miles) across, and the visible head of the comet is a cloud of gas and dust about 640,000 km (400,000 miles) in diameter.
(Excerpt) Read more at universetoday.com ...
TOPICS: Astronomy
KEYWORDS: c2014q2; comet; comet2014q2; cometlovejoy; darkenergy; darkenergycamera; darkenergysurvey; greencomet; stpatrickscomet
Comet 2014 Q2 (Lovejoy), on December 27, 2014, as seen by the Dark Energy Survey. Credit: Fermilab’s Marty Murphy, Nikolay Kuropatkin, Huan Lin and Brian Yanny.
1
posted on
02/27/2015 11:32:31 AM PST
by
BenLurkin
To: SunkenCiv
Your APOD list might get a kick out this.
2
posted on
02/27/2015 11:33:05 AM PST
by
BenLurkin
(The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
To: BenLurkin
3
posted on
02/27/2015 11:33:24 AM PST
by
TBP
(Obama lies, Granny dies.)
To: BenLurkin
Very nice image. Thanks for sharing!!
4
posted on
02/27/2015 11:33:57 AM PST
by
EagleUSA
(Liberalism removes the significance of everything")
To: BenLurkin
5
posted on
02/27/2015 11:38:58 AM PST
by
Vendome
(Don't take life so seriously-you won't live through it anyway-Enjoy Yourself ala Louis Prima)
To: BenLurkin; dfwgator
Oh wait - I thought you said "Dark
Energon" - never mind.
6
posted on
02/27/2015 11:39:23 AM PST
by
Alex Murphy
("the defacto Leader of the FR Calvinist Protestant Brigades")
To: BenLurkin
They should try to capture photos of comets with this thing more often! That’s pretty amazing!
7
posted on
02/27/2015 11:43:09 AM PST
by
KoRn
(Department of Homeland Security, Certified - "Right Wing Extremist")
To: BenLurkin
That is magnificently gigantic and gigantically magnificent!
8
posted on
02/27/2015 12:03:23 PM PST
by
DannyTN
To: BenLurkin
A "Dark Energy Camera"?
How does a camera take a photo of energy? Dark or otherwise?
9
posted on
02/27/2015 12:06:27 PM PST
by
Bloody Sam Roberts
(Where am I to go now that I've gone too far?)
To: Bloody Sam Roberts
How does a camera take a photo of energy? Dark or otherwise? Well, since a camera responds to photons emitted or reflected from its target it can only take a picture of energy.
More seriously, the camera is taking pictures of distant galaxies to study the accelerating expansion of the universe. Either there is something causing the acceleration (now called dark energy, although no one has actually observed it and determined if it matter, energy or something else) or the generally accepted rules about how gravity works is wrong.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Energy_Survey
10
posted on
02/27/2015 12:20:50 PM PST
by
KarlInOhio
(Darth Obama on 529 plans: I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further.)
To: KoRn; BenLurkin
They should try to capture photos of comets with this thing more often! That’s pretty amazing! No kidding!! That is stunning! Best shot of a comet I can remember seeing.
11
posted on
02/27/2015 2:10:00 PM PST
by
radu
(May God watch over our troops and keep them safe)
To: BenLurkin; brytlea; cripplecreek; decimon; bigheadfred; KoRn; Grammy; steelyourfaith; Mmogamer; ...
Thanks BenLurkin. Nice extra to APoD.
12
posted on
02/28/2015 5:37:48 AM PST
by
SunkenCiv
(What do we want? REGIME CHANGE! When do we want it? NOW!)
To: SunkenCiv; BenLurkin
Nice extra to APoD, (DITTOS).
13
posted on
02/28/2015 5:52:11 AM PST
by
Las Vegas Dave
(The democ"RAT"ic party preys on the ignorant..!)
To: Bloody Sam Roberts
How does a camera take a photo of energy? Dark or otherwise? It's a bit like flying to the Sun, you won't get burned up if you go at night...
14
posted on
02/28/2015 6:01:12 AM PST
by
null and void
(No crime, real or imagined, is too small to not be declared a felony.)
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