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Astronomy Picture of the Day -- Comet Meets Moon and Morning Star
NASA ^ | December 12, 2015 | (see photo credit)

Posted on 12/11/2015 11:38:43 PM PST by SunkenCiv

Explanation: A crescent Moon and brilliant Venus met in predawn skies on December 7, a beautiful conjunction of planet Earth's two brightest celestial beacons after the Sun. Harder to see but also on the scene was Comet Catalina (C/2013 US10). The fainter comet clearly sporting two tails, lunar night side, bright sunlit lunar crescent, and brilliant morning star, are all recorded here by combining short and long exposures of the same field of view. Pointing down and right, Catalina's dust tail tends to trail behind the comet's orbit. Its ion tail, angled toward the top left of the frame, is blowing away from the Sun. Discovered in 2013, the new visitor from the Oort cloud was closest to the Sun on November 15 and is now outbound, headed for its closest approach to Earth in mid-January.

December 12, 2015

(Excerpt) Read more at 129.164.179.22 ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; astronomy; c2013us10; catalinaskysurvey; comet; cometcatalina; comets; greencomet; moon; retrograde; science; venus
[Credit and Copyright: Greg Hogan]

1 posted on 12/11/2015 11:38:43 PM PST by SunkenCiv
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http://129.164.179.22/apod/image/1512/FINAL_CATALINA_SM_WM.jpg

http://129.164.179.22/apod/image/1512/FINAL_CATALINA_SM_WM1024.jpg

http://freerepublic.com/perl/post?id=3371644%2C0


2 posted on 12/11/2015 11:39:25 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Here's to the day the forensics people scrape what's left of Putin off the ceiling of his limo.)
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To: SunkenCiv

First I’d heard of it. Thanks.


3 posted on 12/11/2015 11:42:15 PM PST by EternalVigilance (Democrats and the GOP. They love our enemies, and hate you and me)
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To: EternalVigilance

My pleasure.


4 posted on 12/12/2015 12:20:45 AM PST by SunkenCiv (Here's to the day the forensics people scrape what's left of Putin off the ceiling of his limo.)
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To: SunkenCiv
 photo Comet Catalina 2015 01_zpscsfoscmr.jpg
Comet C/2013 US10 Catalina shows two spectacular tails and a bright aqua coma this morning (Dec. 6) . The dust tail, made
of dust boiled off the comet during it recent close approach to the sun, points to the southeast. Sunlight pushes the dust away
from the coma. The gas tail is made of gases such as carbon monoxide that fluoresce in solar ultraviolet light.
Credit: Michael Jaeger

http://astrobob.areavoices.com/2015/12/06/comet-catalina-impresses-see-the-moon-cover-venus-monday/

5 posted on 12/12/2015 2:05:06 AM PST by ETL (Ted Cruz 2016!! -- For a better, safer America)
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To: ETL

Go Green! Go White!


6 posted on 12/12/2015 2:16:13 AM PST by SunkenCiv (Here's to the day the forensics people scrape what's left of Putin off the ceiling of his limo.)
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To: SunkenCiv
 photo Comet Catalina 2015 02_zps7iavnlzz.jpg

C/2013 US10 is an Oort Cloud comet with a steeply inclined orbit of 149 degrees. It's
spent much of its time lately below the plane of the solar system, out of view of Northern
Hemisphere skywatchers. After solar conjunction at mid-month, it will transition to
northern skies and arc over the inner planets. On January 12, 2016, the comet comes closest
to Earth at 66.9 million miles (107.7 million km).
NASA / JPL

Discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey on Halloween 2013, the comet received the "US10" designation because it was initially thought to be an asteroid in a short period orbit. After more observations to refine its path and additional photographs that revealed telltale comet fuzz, astronomers realized they'd run into a denizen from the Oort Cloud, knocked our way by the close passage of some nameless star long ago. At the time of discovery, Catalina glowed at only 19th magnitude some 7.7 a.u. from Earth. Typical of new arrivals, it dove into the inner solar system on a steeply inclined orbit.

Virgin Comet in Virgo

C/2013 US10 spends its first few weeks after conjunction climbing northward through Virgo near Spica. Ticks mark its position at 0h Universal Time every three days. Stars are plotted to 6th magnitude. Click on the image for a large, color PDF map.
Sky & Telescope

The comet pursues a northerly track through Virgo when it returns at dawn around November 24th, appearing 8 deg high in the southeastern sky 70 minutes before sunrise. By the 28th, it will have climbed to 10 deg in a dark sky shortly before the start of dawn.

Now for the bad news. A bright Moon will put a temporary damper on the comet's rise to fame from November 24th through December 3rd. From there on out, though, it's smooth sailing until the Moon returns for Round two at the winter solstice.

Catalina glides northward at nearly 1 degree per day in late December as it crosses from Virgo into Bootes on a beeline for Arcturus. On the morning of January 1st, the comet skims 1/2 deg southwest of that orange luminary in a remarkable conjunction highlighting the arrival of the new year. Photo anyone?

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/comet-catalina-sails-into-northern-skies111120151111/

7 posted on 12/12/2015 2:17:25 AM PST by ETL (Ted Cruz 2016!! -- For a better, safer America)
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To: ETL


8 posted on 12/12/2015 2:21:53 AM PST by JoeProBono (SOME IMAGES MAY BE DISTURBING ’VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED;-{)
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To: JoeProBono
 photo Heavens Gate Cult 01_zpsnjquvum5.jpg

... heaven's gate, Marshall Applewhite hale bopp, heaven's gate leader

HEAVEN'S GATE SHOE IDENTIFIED? not windrunners in General Talk Forum

Heaven's Gate

9 posted on 12/12/2015 2:33:14 AM PST by ETL (Ted Cruz 2016!! -- For a better, safer America)
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To: JoeProBono
1965 Mercury Comet A/FX Image
10 posted on 12/12/2015 2:38:30 AM PST by ETL (Ted Cruz 2016!! -- For a better, safer America)
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To: brytlea; cripplecreek; decimon; bigheadfred; KoRn; Grammy; steelyourfaith; Mmogamer; dayglored; ...
The Big One

11 posted on 12/12/2015 3:39:00 AM PST by SunkenCiv (Here's to the day the forensics people scrape what's left of Putin off the ceiling of his limo.)
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To: ETL

yes to your Comet and to Ted also. It’d be neat to see him going for a ride in a 60s drag car.


12 posted on 12/12/2015 8:34:25 AM PST by Boowhoknew
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To: Boowhoknew
"Heaven's Gate was an American UFO religious Millenarian group based in San Diego, California, founded in the early 1970s and led by Marshall Applewhite (1931-1997) and Bonnie Nettles (1927-1985).[1]

On March 26, 1997, police discovered the bodies of 39 members of the group who had committed mass suicide[2] in order to reach what they believed was an alien space craft following Comet Hale-Bopp.[3]"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven’s_Gate_%28religious_group%29

13 posted on 12/12/2015 9:04:50 AM PST by ETL (Ted Cruz 2016!! -- For a better, safer America)
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To: Boowhoknew

Who’s Ted?


14 posted on 12/12/2015 9:10:58 AM PST by ETL (Ted Cruz 2016!! -- For a better, safer America)
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To: ETL

I remember that, Wonder if they were going to the same MOTHERSHIP George Clinton fans believe in. And if they made it.. And noticing that Bonnie Nettles went before the crowd.
( George Clinton is the /was the “head” of the afro funk band Parlaiment. Having found a really potent strain of cannabis, he preached the Mothership was coming to take all his followers away.)


15 posted on 12/13/2015 7:29:05 AM PST by Boowhoknew
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To: Boowhoknew
 photo Farrakhan - Mother Wheel 02_zpsdcv6jj2m.jpg

the_time_pt51_01-07-2014.jpg

http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/Minister_Louis_Farrakhan_9/article_101093.shtml

16 posted on 12/13/2015 8:28:49 AM PST by ETL (Ted Cruz 2016!! -- For a better, safer America)
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To: SunkenCiv
Go Green! Go White!


17 posted on 12/14/2015 7:28:07 AM PST by Red Badger (READ MY LIPS: NO MORE BUSHES!...............)
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