Thursday, January 8, 2015

Another Lovejoy Comet: Day 42


This is not the best photo, I recognize that, but I posted it regardless to call attention to a faint green visitor in our night sky. This is comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy, barely visible to the unaided eye. Last night it skimmed past Earth just 43.6 million miles away, as it heads towards perihelion (closest point with the sun) on January 30th. From there the sun's gravity will slingshot the icy rock back into the outer reaches of our solar system, on an 11,500 year long orbit. Lovejoy can be seen as a diffuse green smudge low in the southern sky just after sunset. The green color of Lovejoy's coma is the result of venting diatomic C2 gases, as the sun heats the comet's core. To find Lovejoy look for the constellation Orion, his bow will literally point the way as the comet tracks through the sky this month. Grab a pair of binoculars and give it a go, this comet won't be back for another 8,000 years. For a star chart of the event, follow this link: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/wp-content/uploads/Lovejoy2-1250px.gif

Canon EOS 60D, Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM + 1.4x, ISO-800 f/5.6 @ 2sec, 43 images stacked

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