The Great Christmas Comet of 2011, 2011 W3 (Lovejoy) |
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The Great Christmas Comet of 2011, 2011 W3 (Lovejoy) |
Guest_Sunspot_* |
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http://sungrazer.nrl.navy.mil/index.php?p=.../birthday_comet
Possible very bright sungrazing comet coming mid December - Comet Lovejoy C/2011 W3 (Lovejoy) Information in the link above. |
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Guest_Sunspot_* |
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Member ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 699 Joined: 1-April 08 From: Minnesota ! Member No.: 4081 ![]() |
And check out the SOHO Movie Theater! Choose LASCO C3 and the latest 20 or so images.
http://sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/soho_movie_theater |
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![]() Member ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 723 Joined: 13-June 04 Member No.: 82 ![]() |
Spaceweather
COMET LOVEJOY UPDATE: Matthew Knight of the Lowell Observatory and JHU-APL reports: "As of 16:30 UT on Dec. 15th, Comet Lovejoy has reached magnitude -3, possibly brighter. It is starting to saturate SOHO images even with narrow filters and shorter than normal exposure times." The comet is now brighter than Jupiter, but not quite as bright as Venus. If these developments continue apace, Comet Lovejoy could become visible to the naked eye in broad daylight before the end of Dec. 15th. |
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Senior Member ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 1582 Joined: 14-October 05 From: Vermont Member No.: 530 ![]() |
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![]() Member ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 723 Joined: 13-June 04 Member No.: 82 ![]() |
Same here. Right now it's overcast from horizon to horizon where I am.
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![]() Senior Member ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Moderator Posts: 2785 Joined: 10-November 06 From: Pasadena, CA Member No.: 1345 ![]() |
-------------------- Some higher resolution images available at my photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31678681@N07/
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![]() Member ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 723 Joined: 13-June 04 Member No.: 82 ![]() |
Here is another video:
http://sdoisgo.blogspot.com/2011/12/phoeni...et-emerges.html I should add that the comet may look faint in these videos, but the cameras are optimized to stare at the surface of the sun. The fact that the comet is visible at all indicates its tremendous brightness. |
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![]() Senior Member ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 2082 Joined: 13-February 10 From: Ontario Member No.: 5221 ![]() |
That's one tough cookie....
Any estimate for how close it got (in terms of solar radii)? |
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![]() Senior Member ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Moderator Posts: 2262 Joined: 9-February 04 From: Melbourne - Oz Member No.: 16 ![]() |
140,000 km (1.2 solar radii) above the surface
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Guest_Sunspot_* |
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![]() Member ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 723 Joined: 13-June 04 Member No.: 82 ![]() |
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![]() Member ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 648 Joined: 9-May 05 From: Subotica Member No.: 384 ![]() |
Seems to have left it's tail behind. ![]() That tail was so OUT it's growing itself new HOT tail. ![]() http://lasco-www.nrl.navy.mil/javagif/gifs...216_1530_c3.gif -------------------- The scientist does not study nature because it is useful; he studies it because he delights in it, and he delights in it because it is beautiful.
Jules H. Poincare My "Astrophotos" gallery on flickr... |
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![]() Member ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 723 Joined: 13-June 04 Member No.: 82 ![]() |
It is still very soon, but it appears that Comet Lovejoy is actually brighter than it was at the same distance from the Sun on the way in, and continues to brighten. (This is not a total surprise -- historically, close sun-grazers have tended to be more spectacular after perihelion than before, provided they survive it.) It could end up being a brilliant comet in the southern hemisphere in the coming days, once it moves a bit further from the Sun's glare.
Quicktime movie (The nucleus's brightness can be very crudely estimated from the size of the white oversaturation bars extending from the nucleus. They are already longer than any seen by this camera on the inbound trajectory.) |
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Guest_Sunspot_* |
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The Ion tail has reappeared too.
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