Someone notify Josephine, you know how she feels about Green Comet!!
Posted on 02/18/2009 9:12:03 AM PST by 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
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.
I’m just glad it wasn’t named Comet Wormwood. ;-)
It the Secret Concentration Camp in Space.
Someone notify Josephine, you know how she feels about Green Comet!!
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve Bank?
I KNEW he would return, I just KNEW 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.
I prefer my comets Milda rather than Spica or Regula...
(I believe the name of the one star is actually Regulus)
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)
One of my favorite movies.
Let's hope so, and with it, super-hero Obama loses his powers.
Sucks to be Superman next week.
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