Sat Mar 23, 2024 11:33 pm by globalturbo
Comet Lemmon dazzles stargazers: one of three comets to be seen in 2013
Posted on February 22, 2013 by The Extinction Protocol
February 22, 2013 – SPACE – A GREEN LEMMON: At the moment there are three significant comets plunging toward the sun: Comet ISON,
Comet Pan-STARRS, and Comet Lemmon. The most beautiful so far is this
one: “Comet Lemmon has a beautiful tail with lovely fine structure,”
says Phil Hart of Lake Eppalock, Victoria, Australia, who photographed
it on Feb. 17th. The comet is now slightly closer to the sun than Earth.
Solar heating has turned it into a binocular object (magnitude 5.5 to
6) barely visible to the human eye, but dazzling through backyard
telescopes, as shown in Hart’s photo above. Comet Lemmon’s verdant color
comes from two of the gases boiling off its nucleus: cyanogen (CN: a
poisonous gas found in many comets) and diatomic carbon (C2). Both
substances glow green when illuminated by sunlight in the near-vacuum of
space. The combination of its colorful atmosphere and filamentary tail
make this comet visually striking. Ultimately, Comet Pan-STARRS and
especially Comet ISON could surpass it, but for now the most beautiful
comet in the solar system appears to be a green Lemmon. –Space Watch
Thanks to: http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com
Posted on February 22, 2013 by The Extinction Protocol
February 22, 2013 – SPACE – A GREEN LEMMON: At the moment there are three significant comets plunging toward the sun: Comet ISON,Comet Pan-STARRS, and Comet Lemmon. The most beautiful so far is this
one: “Comet Lemmon has a beautiful tail with lovely fine structure,”
says Phil Hart of Lake Eppalock, Victoria, Australia, who photographed
it on Feb. 17th. The comet is now slightly closer to the sun than Earth.
Solar heating has turned it into a binocular object (magnitude 5.5 to
6) barely visible to the human eye, but dazzling through backyard
telescopes, as shown in Hart’s photo above. Comet Lemmon’s verdant color
comes from two of the gases boiling off its nucleus: cyanogen (CN: a
poisonous gas found in many comets) and diatomic carbon (C2). Both
substances glow green when illuminated by sunlight in the near-vacuum of
space. The combination of its colorful atmosphere and filamentary tail
make this comet visually striking. Ultimately, Comet Pan-STARRS and
especially Comet ISON could surpass it, but for now the most beautiful
comet in the solar system appears to be a green Lemmon. –Space Watch
Thanks to: http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com
