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 ...
Still heartbroken....LOL
Yep that’s what messed the machines up. The songs were by ac/dc.
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.
"We still have 2 out of 3 branches of the government working for us, and that ain't bad!"
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.
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.
Valley Girls meet Zombies at the mall. Excellent B movie.
http://www.zombiesurvivalwiki.com/page/Night+of+the+Comet?t=anon
I knew it was one or the other, gravity pulling it toward the sun or solar winds, I chose gravity!:) At any rate I know that comets down “fly backwards!”.
Still heartbroken....LOL
Ah, for old time's sake.
bttt
Will it cleanse our solar system?
Only if it skips off of Chicago and comes to rest on the White House.
I'm not a scientist but my Husband says that the green color could be that the comet is an iceball of copper sulfide and/or argon gas - they both burn green in visible lightwaves. The cynogen (sp?) gas would burn colorless. Instead of shedding these gases into the tail (which is caused by friction) as a less compact iceball comet would do, the friction may be compacting an already dense comet. He says the phenomenon to watch for is if an already dense gas-ball of ice is compressed further, it may result in a partial or complete explosive fracturing. Now, I, am curious that the story comes from Washington, as opposed to NASA. best regards, blu
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