Astronomy Picture of the Day -- PanSTARRS over Parkes

NASA ^ | March 09, 2013 | (see photo credit)

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Explanation: Sweeping quickly through southern skies on March 5, Comet PanSTARRS (C/2011 L4) follows the Sun toward the western horizon in this twilight scene. In the foreground is Australia's CSIRO Parkes Radio Telescope, a 64 meter wide steerable dish that is no stranger to the space age exploration of comets. In March of 1986 the Parkes dish tracked ESA's Giotto spacecraft as it flew by Comet Halley and received the first ever closeup images of Halley's nucleus. At naked-eye visibility, Comet PanSTARRS made its closest approach to planet Earth on March 5. Its closest approach to the Sun will be on March 10. Heading north, PanSTARRS now begins a much anticipated appearance low in the northern hemisphere's western skies after sunset. On March 12, look for the comet hugging the western horizon near a young crescent Moon.

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[Credit & Copyright: John Sarkissian (CSIRO Parkes Observatory)]

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Astronomy Picture of the Day — Comets Lemmon and PanSTARRS Peaking
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2993836/posts

[left that other site]

Is it me, or have we been seeing a lot more comets and asteroids lately?

Or maybe, having the Internet just makes the news get out faster.

Maybe both.

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:’)

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2995032/posts?page=18#18

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Bright comet ‘lighting sky’ as it flies by Earth
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2995016/posts

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I remember the one back in the 70’s in the Indian Ocean.

I am SO glad it was a bolide and NOT a “South African Bomb”, seeing the last few years history!

(Imagine Winnie Wid a NUKE!)

[Jack Hydrazine]

You bet your asteroids!

[cripplecreek]

Is it me, or have we been seeing a lot more comets and asteroids lately?

I think its probably mostly due to the internet. We see a lot of pictures of comets that aren't naked eye comets and wouldn't even know about them without the internet.

On the other hand I know that some scientists are theorizing that something is disturbing the Ort cloud because a lot more comets are coming from one direction. I'd find you a link but I don't feel like digging through the cesspool of conspiracy stupidity this morning.

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LOL!

They are from Uranus.

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Yep...
Winnie Wid a Nuke
Would be worse than Sandra Fluck.

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That Ort Cloud can be annoying.

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Parkes has more history than this. The telescope was used to receive and send transmissions to Apollo 11 when facing that part of the world. The first moonwalk images came through Parkes.

A wonderful movie was made about it called The Dish with Sam Neill starring. The movie uses quirky characters and American/Aussie cultural differences to tell the story with warm humor. Highly recommended.

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:’) The outback scene in “The Right Stuff” probably is meant to represent the Parkes.

[Jack Hydrazine]

Who’s Winnie? Winnie Mandela?

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Yeah...Imagine her with a NUKE! She does enough damage with Burning Tire “necklaces”.

[colorado tanker]

I agree, that’s probably what they intended. It’s typical Hollywood, though - Parkes isn’t THAT far into the sticks.

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Thanks Berlin_Freeper!

Comet PanSTARRS -- The Movie: On the evening of March 11, 2013, Comet PanSTARRS was captured in a time lapse sequence as it set over the Dos Cabezas Mountains.