Comets


Meteor

Blazing Starry Trail: Accountant Finds Sixth Comet in Nine Months


daijiworld.com
Sat, 27 Aug 2011 12:41 UTC
SOHO Sungrazer
© NASAA Kreutz Sungrazer comet.
He spends most of his day at office and commuting to and from Mumbai in crowded suburban trains but accountant Shishir Deshmukh still finds time to look at the stars and pursue his passion for astronomy. And he has just discovered his sixth comet in just nine months, the first by an Indian.

His latest discovery was a Kreutz Group comet Thursday evening.

"I feel very thrilled by my discoveries, the first by an Indian. It gives great pleasure. Although I am an amateur astronomer, I have made a small contribution to the world of astronomy," an excited Deshmukh, who works as an assistant accounts manager with a leading realty group, told IANS.

The Kreutz Group of comets is named after a German astronomer, Heinrich Kreutz, who discovered that these types of comets - which travel around the sun and consist of a solid frozen nucleus part and a long luminous tail - have their orbits very close to the sun.

"These comets are generally very fragile, barely a few metres long and keep disintegrating throughout their orbit," explained Deshmukh, a commerce graduate from the University of Mumbai with an M.Phil in information science.
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Meteor

Two Comets to Pass Close to Earth in Early October

Mark Paquette
AccuWeather.com Astronomy Blog
Mon, 22 Aug 2011 10:21 UTC
As mentioned before in previous blogs, Comet Elenin will pass close to Earth in six weeks or so. We had previously talked about the theories out there with this comet. To read them, please click here and here.


Comment: Actually, for a better analysis of the facts and myths surrounding Comet Elenin, check out:

Elenin, Nibiru, Planet-X - Time for a Sanity Check


For even better treat, on Oct. 7, Comet Honda will brighten to a magnitude 5 in the constellation Leo and favor a horizon view before sunrise for Northern sky observers.

That is not all, Comet Honda will join Comet Elenin, and both will be visible on that morning in the same wide field of view in binoculars and camera lenses, a rare treat with two comets at once! You should be able to get some spectacular photos of this event. I will have to remind you as we get closer to the event so that you can post some pictures for me.

Comet Honda
© UnknownComet Honda is Shown (Bright Object in the Center of the Photo)
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Meteor

Best of the Web: Cosmic smoke and mirrors, or how crumbs of truth are mixed with confusion and lies: The mystery of Comet Elenin


Russia Today
Fri, 19 Aug 2011 02:23 UTC
Astronomers and other outer space experts are speaking out on a comet expected to make a close call with colliding into Earth later this year. The consequences could be dire, so why are so many people unaware of it?


"I think it's worth a raised eyebrow" says author Brooks Agnew. He's done a lot of research on Elenin and tells RT that there are some rather strange coincidences regarding the comet that people should take into consideration.

"A lot of people are concerned about it," says Agnew. "We've done a lot of research on Comet Elenin and what we've found is there's a lot of missing data on this comet"

Agnew says that NASA calls the comet just "a harmless little fuzzball of ice" that won't come within more than 20 million miles from Earth. Others, he says, are claiming that this comet should raise concern since it doesn't look like a comet, doesn't act like a comet and is coming from outside of the area where most comets are accustomed to originate out of.

"There are a lot of things about this comet that don't make sense," Agnew says.

Comment: There has been much disinformation and plain hysteria around the topic of Comet Elenin that contribute to the general confusion regarding possible effects of the comet on Earth and our civilization.

We advise our readers to take a look at the following articles that bring sanity to this highly charged topic.

Elenin, Nibiru, Planet-X - Time for a Sanity Check

Cosmic Propaganda Alert! Comet Elenin: Just Passing By - With SOTT Commentary

Interview with Russian astronomer Leonid Elenin - The discoverer of Comet Elenin

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Meteor

NASA: Comet Elenin Poses No Threat to Earth

Klaus Schmidt
Space Fellowship
Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:48 UTC
comet elenin
© n/aComet Elenin
Often, comets are portrayed as harbingers of gloom and doom in movies and on television, but most pose no threat to Earth. Comet Elenin, the latest comet to visit our inner solar system, is no exception. Elenin will pass about 22 million miles (35 million kilometers) from Earth during its closest approach on Oct. 16, 2011.

Also known by its astronomical name C/2010 X1, the comet was first detected on Dec. 10, 2010 by Leonid Elenin, an observer in Lyubertsy, Russia, who made the discovery "remotely" using an observatory in New Mexico. At that time, Elenin was about 401 million miles (647 million kilometers) from Earth. Since its discovery, Comet Elenin has - as all comets do - closed the distance to Earth's vicinity as it makes its way closer to perihelion, its closest point to the sun.

NASA scientists have taken time over the last several months to answer your questions. Compiled below are the some of the most popular questions, with answers from Don Yeomans of NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., and David Morrison of the NASA Astrobiology Institute at the NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif.

Comment: For more information on Elenin, comets and some interesting research on related phenomena see:

Elenin, Nibiru, Planet X - Time for a Sanity Check

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Meteor

Capture Comet C2009 P1 Garradd Now

Tammy Plotner
Universe Today
Wed, 17 Aug 2011 11:01 UTC
What are you waiting for? If it's an engraved invitation, the consider this your pass to get out and start looking for Comet C/2009 P1 Garradd! It's well within reach of average binoculars and it's even in a position that's easy for the average observer! Step on out here into the backyard and I'll show you...

Image
© heavens-above.com
At close to magnitude 8, Comet C/2009 P1 Garradd is currently grazing its way along the eastern line of the Summer Triangle. Even if you live in a moderately light polluted area, you should be able to make out the three bright stars, Deneb to the north, Vega to the west and Altair to the south. Just aim your binoculars roughly halfway between Altair and Deneb and begin scanning on binocular field at a time for a faint, fuzzy poofball that signifies the comet's presence. What you will see in binoculars will appear to be like a "fuzzy star" - while a telescope will reveal the beginnings of a tail.
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Meteor

Speedy Comet Honda to pass near Earth next week


Astro Bob
Mon, 08 Aug 2011 14:09 UTC
It wasn't but a week ago I was observing Comet Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova, which for simplicity we'll call Comet Honda-M-P. It was very low in the southern sky in the early morning hours and a tough catch in the constellation Pisces Austrinus the Southern Fish. Using the "lure" of time, I made two observations - one around midnight and the other at 2 a.m. This way I was able to track and positively identify a faint, round hazy glow that slowly inched across the starfield over the span of two hours. Terry's photo below captures its appearance well.

Image
© Terry LovejoyComet Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova photographed by Australian amateur astronomer Terry Lovejoy on August 5.
Sure wasn't much to look at, but finding an old friend is always a pleasure. I last saw the comet back in 2001 and before that in 1995. Honda-M-P is what astronomers call a returning or periodic comet, similar to Halley's Comet but with a much smaller orbit and hence a shorter times between returns. It was discovered by Japanese amateur astronomer Minoru Honda in 1948 and seen at nearly the same time by astronomers Antonin Mrkos and Ludmila Pajdusakova.
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Meteor

NASA Sun-Watching Satellite Spots Comet Elenin in Deep Space


Space.com
Thu, 11 Aug 2011 06:00 UTC
Comet Elenin
© NASAComet Elenin as seen by NASA's STEREO spacecraft on Aug. 6, 2011.

A NASA spacecraft aimed at the sun shifted its unblinking gaze to an approaching comet last week to snap a new photo of the icy object as it flew by.

The image shows the comet Elenin as it passed within 4.3 million miles (7 million kilometers) of one of NASA's twin Stereo sun-watching spacecraft during a series of deep space photo sessions that began on Aug. 1. NASA rolled the Stereo-B satellite to give its instruments a view of the comet flyby, officials said.

From Stereo's observations, the fuzzy comet Elenin can be seen streaking across a small portion of the sky. The comet was seen by Stereo's HI-2 telescope between Aug. 1 to 5, and by the higher resolution HI-1 telescope between Aug. 6 to 12, NASA officials said. Stereo mission scientists planned to take photos for one-hour every day through Aug. 12.

"From August 15 onward, the comet enters the HI-1 telescope's nominal field of view, at which time we should enjoy continuous viewing of the comet," NASA researchers explained in an update posted to the Stereo mission website.
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Meteor

Comet Collision to Come?


SETI Institute
Tue, 09 Aug 2011 14:37 UTC
Draconid
© CAMS / SETIThis +2 magnitude February eta Draconid was filmed by Peter Jenniskens with one of the low-light-level video cameras of the Cameras for Allsky Meteor Surveillance (CAMS) station in Mountain View, California, at 07:59:24 UT on February 4, 2011.
A telegram was issued on July 10th by the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams of the International Astronomical Union announcing that the Earth got impacted for a few hours by a stream of dust from a potentially dangerous comet last February 4.

"This particular shower happens only once or twice every sixty years," says discoverer Dr. Peter Jenniskens of the SETI Institute and NASA Ames. "The stream of dust is always there, but quite invisible just outside of Earth's orbit. Only when the planets steer the dust in Earth's path do we get to know it is there."

Jenniskens heads the Cameras for Allsky Meteor Surveillance (CAMS) project in California. Since last October, the SETI Institute has teamed up with Fremont Peak Observatory and UCO/Lick Observatory in monitoring the night sky with low-light video cameras in an effort to map the meteor showers in the sky over the San Francisco Bay Area. They triangulate the meteor trajectories and determine their orbit in space.
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Meteor

Now in the Night Sky: Comet Garradd

Nancy Atkinson
Universe Today
Fri, 05 Aug 2011 10:29 UTC
Comet Garradd
© Peter LakeComet Garradd on Aug. 1. 2011 as seen from Australia.
If you haven't already, it's time to start looking for Comet Garradd! This comet, with the nomenclature C/2009 P1, is now coming into small telescope/binocular view so here's your chance to see the brightest comet in the current night sky. You can find it in the late evening sky in the constellation Pegasus. Viewing it now, Garradd is just coming out the "fuzzball" stage, and its tail is just coming into view.

Some say it's much better looking than that other comet, Elenin, that has been needlessly grabbing some headlines. Comet Garradd was discovered two years ago by Gordon Garradd from the Siding Spring Observatory in Australia, and is currently visible through a small telescope at about magnitude nine.

Above is an image of Comet Garradd from Peter Lake (aka Astroswanny) from Australia.
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Meteor

Comet Garradd Caught on Camera

Matthew Martin
The Daily Post, New Zealand
Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:29 UTC
Comet Garradd
© The Daily Post, New ZealandComet: Rotorua's Rolf Carstens captured this image of comet C/2009 P1 (Garradd) from his back garden on Homedale St on Monday morning.

Rotorua's Rolf Carstens is a keen amateur astronomer and was up at 2.30am on Monday to capture this photo of recently-discovered comet C/2009 P1 (Garradd).

The comet was discovered by Australian astronomer Gordon Garradd at Siding Spring, New South Wales, in 2009 and can be seen in the eastern skies of New Zealand.

The comet will come closest to Earth in March 2012 but will only be seen in the North Hemisphere at that time. Scientists are still trying to work out its orbit and when it will be near Earth in the future but, according to Mr Carstens, that will be "a very long time".

Mr Carstens used a 25.4cm SCT (Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope) on a German Equatorial Mount with a camera attached to take the picture from a system remotely controlled from inside his house. He is also a member of the Rotorua Astronomical Society, which has its next meeting tomorrow from 7.30pm at the old Rotorua West Bowling Club building on Kamahi Place.

Everyone is welcome.
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