Strange Green Comet Passing by Earth Next Week

Fox News ^ | February 18, 2009 | Unattributed

[Ben Mugged]

An odd, greenish backward-flying comet is zipping by Earth this month, as it takes its only trip toward the sun from the farthest edges of the solar system.

The comet is called Lulin, and there's a chance it can be seen with the naked eye — far from city lights, astronomers say. But you'll most likely need a telescope, or at least binoculars, to spot it.

The best opportunity is just before dawn one-third of the way up the southern sky. It should be near Saturn and two bright stars, Spica and Regula.

On Monday at 10:43 p.m. EST, it will be 38 million miles from Earth, the closest it will ever get, according to Donald Yeomans, manager of NASA's Near Earth Object program.

The story behind the comet is more intriguing than its appearance — the greenish tinge may be hard for many to discern. The color comes from a type of carbon and cyanogen, a poisonous gas.

Lulin was discovered by a Chinese teenager two years ago. It still has many of its original gases — gases that are usually stripped away as comets near the sun. Unlike most comets viewable from Earth, this one hasn't been this close to the sun before, Yeomans said.

While all the planets and most of the other objects in the solar system circle the sun counterclockwise, Lulin circles clockwise, said NASA astronomer Stephen Edberg.

Thanks to an optical illusion, from Earth it appears as if the comet's tail is in the front as the comet approaches Earth and the sun.

"It essentially is going backwards through the solar system," he said.

[Ben Mugged]

A green toxic cloud of gas. Ought to be named "Comet Chili Verdi".

[tutstar]

gnip...

[cripplecreek]

Didn’t some kind of green comet lead to the rise of killer machines in the Maximum overdrive flick?

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Yucateco !

[lormand]

Time for another cult to cut their nuts off and drink koolaid I guess.

[Army Air Corps]

Ping.

[Badeye]

ROTFL!

[DManA]

Kryptonite?

[Army Air Corps]

Obots?

[wolf24]

We come in peace.

[null and void]

Join my cult. Have a ball...

[dfwgator]

[Sybeck1]

ZOD

[Judith Anne]

Either that or the Mean Green Mother From Outer Space (And He’s Bad!)

[Larry Lucido]

A classy green-eyed comet?

[gimme1ibertee]

Hopefully it’s the “Green” Comet that will sweep by & pick up Al Gore and his minions.It can take them back to Planet Stupid.

[lormand]

LOL

[calex59]

Backwards flying comet? Are reporters born brain dead or do they have to work at it?

[George from New England]

“Green comet”

The comet that doesn’t abuse any energy source as it travels about our solar system. The libs are wetting their pants over this one.

Please Mr Green please hit our planet and save up from the “O” agenda.

[Skooz]

bfl

[dfwgator]

Comet!
It will make your teeth turn green.

Comet!
It tastes like gasoline.

Comet!
It will make you vomit.

So buy some Comet and vomit, today.

[OB1kNOb]

I’m just glad it wasn’t named Comet Wormwood. ;-)

[TADSLOS]

It the Secret Concentration Camp in Space.

[MozarkDawg]

Someone notify Josephine, you know how she feels about Green Comet!!

[MrEdd]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1WsOITYFpA

[CJ Wolf]

[ninonitti]

Time for another cult to cut their nuts off and drink koolaid I guess.

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve Bank?

[Just mythoughts]

Ah so the greenies have a high flying ‘god’.

[ari-freedom]

[King Moonracer]

The Comet Empire, no doubt...

[wolf24]

They blew up Congress! Ha ha ha ha!

[Melinda]

I KNEW he would return, I just KNEW IT!! ;)

[skully]

Backwards flying comet? Are reporters born brain dead or do they have to work at it?

They have to work at it...they wouldn't know how to get back from crossing the street, they're that stupid. There is no backward or forward in space, but if it makes them feel better, just do an about face, and then the F’ng comet is going “forward”. To think that 53% of America is just as stupid.

Of course if they mean “backwards” as in the tail precedes the body of the comet, then never mind the previous paragraph...except the last sentence.

[mikrofon]

It should be near Saturn and two bright stars, Spica and Regula

I prefer my comets Milda rather than Spica or Regula...

(I believe the name of the one star is actually Regulus)

[Diogenesis]

Ooops. THat was not the reporter. It was the NASA astronomer
Global Warming Division?

In addition to the 'backwards' error, inquiring minds want to know:
How would he know it was never near the sun before?
How does it know it has its 'original' gases?
(could be outgassing)

[A. Patriot]

We come in peace.

One of my favorite movies.

[Wolfstar]

[reagan_fanatic]

[mass55th]

"Kryptonite?"

Let's hope so, and with it, super-hero Obama loses his powers.

[DManA]

Sucks to be Superman next week.

[AdSimp]

Still heartbroken....LOL

[Blind Eye Jones]

Weird if everybody went blind.

[DWC]

Yep that’s what messed the machines up. The songs were by ac/dc.

[mikey_hates_everything]

Is the comet from the Green Dimension?

[ICU812]

Ugh. Scientific ignorance.

A comets visible tail is not a streamer that trails behind it! Plain and simply a comets tail will always face away from the sun(like a shadow) regardless of which direction the comet is moving.

Animated gif explaining this concept

[dfwgator]

"We still have 2 out of 3 branches of the government working for us, and that ain't bad!"

[calex59]

Of course if they mean “backwards” as in the tail precedes the body of the comet, then never mind the previous paragraph...except the last sentence.

Ahh, but the comet still isn't flying backwards, regardless of whether the tail is preceding or tailing. The tails position depends on the direction of travel away or toward the Sun, of course you know that.

[poindexters brother]

The tails position depends on the direction of travel away or toward the Sun, of course you know that.

Actually the tail's position usually is determined by the position of the sun relative to the comet. The tail *usually* points directly away from the sun because it is pushed there by the solar wind.

That is what makes this comet "odd". The tail is not pointing where it should, indicating that there is some jetting of gasses or some other phenomenon happening.

[ICU812]

On second thought...
Perhaps by "backwards" they don't refer to the tail at all but rather the counter-clockwise direction of the comets travel around the sun as opposed to our solar system's general clockwise orientation?

Either way its poorly written at minimum.

[Lee'sGhost]

Night of the Comet

Valley Girls meet Zombies at the mall. Excellent B movie.

http://www.zombiesurvivalwiki.com/page/Night+of+the+Comet?t=anon