The Great Christmas Comet of 2011, 2011 W3 (Lovejoy) |
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The Great Christmas Comet of 2011, 2011 W3 (Lovejoy) |
| Guest_Sunspot_* |
 Dec 2 2011, 09:59 PM
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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_* |
Dec 14 2011, 09:22 AM
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Dec 15 2011, 04:14 AM
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Member  Group: Members Posts: 483 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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Dec 15 2011, 07:59 PM
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 Member Group: Members Posts: 514 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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Dec 15 2011, 08:05 PM
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1105 Joined: 14-October 05 From: Seattle Member No.: 530 |
QUOTE (Mongo @ Dec 15 2011, 03:59 PM)  If these developments continue apace, Comet Lovejoy could become visible to the naked eye in broad daylight before the end of Dec. 15th. NFW. I'll have to squint through some clouds. |
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Dec 15 2011, 08:31 PM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 514 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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Dec 16 2011, 02:06 AM
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 Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 2613 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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Dec 16 2011, 03:52 AM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 514 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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Dec 16 2011, 08:09 AM
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 Member Group: Members Posts: 623 Joined: 13-February 10 From: Vancouver, British Columbia Member No.: 5221 |
That's one tough cookie....
Any estimate for how close it got (in terms of solar radii)? -------------------- To a body of infinite size there can be ascribed neither centre nor boundary... Thus the Earth no more than any other world is at the centre. -Giordano Bruno, 1584.
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Dec 16 2011, 08:31 AM
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 Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 2127 Joined: 9-February 04 From: UK Member No.: 16 |
140,000 km (1.2 solar radii) above the surface
-------------------- My MER & MSL Imagery site - Martian Vistas ---- Twitter Feed (including sol by sol updates on Opportunity's activity)
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| Guest_Sunspot_* |
Dec 16 2011, 09:48 AM
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Dec 16 2011, 02:45 PM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 514 Joined: 13-June 04 Member No.: 82 |
QUOTE (jamescanvin @ Dec 16 2011, 08:31 AM) 140,000 km (1.2 solar radii) above the surface Actually, the radius of the Sun is 695,500 km, so Comet Lovejoy approached to 0.2 solar radii above the photosphere. |
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Dec 16 2011, 04:08 PM
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 Member Group: Members Posts: 615 Joined: 9-May 05 From: Subotica Member No.: 384 |
QUOTE (Sunspot @ Dec 16 2011, 11:48 AM) 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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Dec 16 2011, 10:12 PM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 514 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_* |
Dec 16 2011, 10:47 PM
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The Ion tail has reappeared too.
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Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 19th June 2013 - 04:09 AM |
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