[MD Expat in PA]

Good point and you are correct that 2013 is going to be a very interesting and active year astronomically speaking, both for scientists and people interested in such things from a scientific perspective, but that wasn’t what I was talking about. I was speaking to the media hype surrounding rather frequent events like shooting stars and meteor fire balls and making it seem like all of a sudden there are a lot more of them than usual when most likely, it only appears that way because the media is suddenly giving them more attention, or for that matter, blaming it on global warming (eye roll).

I am really looking forward to seeing comet ISON and am really hoping it doesn’t break up or fizzle out. Of course I'm also hoping that it doesn’t bring out the dooms day cult nuts and if it does, at best they are only mildly disappointed when the World doesn’t come to an end or that they only off themselves and not anyone else.

And kudos to you for getting your niece a telescope for Christmas. If only I had had a really cool uncle like you : )

[RegulatorCountry]

I’m intrigued with there being a literally green comet. I’ve seen green meteors before, and I’ve read historical accounts of a red one, but a green comet is a new one on me.

It’s really too bad that this green comet Lemmon is not the bright one, wouldn’t that be a sight, a tremendous glowing lime green streak across the sky? But then again, the believed source(s) of the green coloration are highly toxic, so on second thought, maybe it’s for the best that it’s more at a distance.

[steve86]

Some phenomenon in Florida area this evening resembling a “meteor shower” according to tweets flying around.