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Post by paulette on Dec 23, 2011 11:14:36 GMT -6
Check this out! spaceweather.comComet Lovejoy photos are listed below the article and worth going to. It seems to have a twin tail. Some thought it glowed green. That it has anything to trail is amazing given that it went through the sun's atmosphere and out again.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2011 13:59:03 GMT -6
Check this out! spaceweather.comComet Lovejoy photos are listed below the article and worth going to. It seems to have a twin tail. Some thought it glowed green. That it has anything to trail is amazing given that it went through the sun's atmosphere and out again. Those pictures are amazing ! Thanks Paulette for posting. Comet Lovejoy is a member of the Kreutz family of comets named after astronomer Heinrich Kreutz who 1st linked them to a large comet that broke up centuries ago. They're known as sungrazers and most dissentegrate at perihelion ( closest approach to the sun), but a few, like comet Lovejoy, have survived . One of them appeared in the skies in 1965 and became a daytime object. Its name is comet Ikeya - Seki and was probably the brightest comets of the millenium. Before Lovejoy made it's closest approach I had been watching this comet with NASA's SOHO telescope and it was expected to evaporate but it amazed about everyone. Because it's a southern Hemisphere object I haven't been able to observe it with binoculars or a telescope but have been attempting daytime observations but haven't seen it yet. If anyone does try, please be careful not to stare at the sun with either your naked eyes or observing equipment. I used a solar filter on a scope years ago and the filter broke while observing the sun. Not good.
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Post by skywalker on Dec 23, 2011 18:40:19 GMT -6
That is amazing. I saw this story about a week ago and was going to post it but I never did for some reason. Thanks for putting it up Paulette. It's hard to believe that a chunk of ice could get that close to the sun and survive...and it looks spectacular!
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