Comet Lulin

Comet Lulin is approaching earth and is visible now for anyone interested in this sort of thing, heres an excellent picture of it from the spaceweather website.

it looks like a borg torpedo ...we are all doomed!!!
...bummer my kids telescope is broken..all we have is binoculars though according to the first site I clicked on about it thats all u will need...I will make an evening of it with the youngin on a not so cold night suppose to late Feb I just read it will be brightest?..thanks Bicnarok!
oh and Im d/l ing it now but this site has a finder chart...
www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/highlights/35992534.html
if anyone knows of a clearer chart post it please...
this one works Im sure but I always liked the ones with a star chart photo mapped out etc..

The picture does look a bit "un-comet" like doesn´t it.

You can get a free Astronomy application called Stellarium from HERE if you need a 3d view for finding the right spot.

As for a clearer star chart, how about this...

Loads more info and pictures here

http://www.ukweatherworld.co.uk/forum/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=27708&posts=22&start=1

sort of odd to think that, once it has passed earth by, it will likely never be seen by human eyes again...

Odd and sad really, mind you there´s lots of stuff in space to be seen.

It looks like some intergalactic sperm searching for a planet to impregnate🙂

borg torpedo sounds better..lol..but definately thanks for the chart...if we catch it will tell about it...

to cloudy here lately to see anything, a shame.

Looks like Thorium

kid and I wanted to do it last night but cloudy here too....

Originally posted by jinXed by JaNx
Looks like Thorium

Maybe its a Thorium comet, that would be interesting if it hit something.

let it hit elsewhere way out of our solar system...I imagine being so visible it is quite large

Just read this:-

Lulin's green color comes from the gases that make up its Jupiter-sized atmosphere. Jets spewing from the comet's nucleus contain 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.

jupiter sized atmosphere hold please..lol.....I just did a google and didn't look into but said its triple the size of jupiter...now if the atmosphere is that big how big is the comet I couldnt find that yet?

Originally posted by Bicnarok
Jets spewing from the comet's nucleus contain cyanogen (CN: a poisonous gas found in many comets) and diatomic carbon (C2).

I hope everybody has bought their comet pills!

Originally posted by Jack Daniels
jupiter sized atmosphere hold please..lol.....I just did a google and didn't look into but said its triple the size of jupiter...now if the atmosphere is that big how big is the comet I couldnt find that yet?

Jupiter sized? I misread it as Jupiter LIKE 😱 😱 😆
maybe someone at NASA miswrote it as well, I think thats wherer I read it.

It´s obviously not as big as Jupiter otherwise it´d be a lot bigger and something to worry about gravitational effects for example.

Sorry if I mislead anyone 😮‍💨

ahh dont worry bout me I'll just pour another...and as far as nasa Im sure they are pouring another too.. 😂

On Tuesday morning, Feb. 24th, Saturn and Comet Lulin will converge in the constellation Leo only 2° apart. At the same time, Lulin will be making its closest approach to Earth (38 million miles), while four of Saturn's moons transit the disk of the ringed planet. Oh, and the Moon will be New, providing dark skies for anyone who wishes to see the show. 🙂

Cool coincidence eh

Originally posted by Bicnarok
Jupiter sized? I misread it as Jupiter LIKE 😱 😱 😆
maybe someone at NASA miswrote it as well, I think thats wherer I read it.

It´s obviously not as big as Jupiter otherwise it´d be a lot bigger and something to worry about gravitational effects for example.

Sorry if I mislead anyone 😮‍💨

It could be Jupiter sized without having to worry about gravitation effects. The atmosphere is probably just very diffuse and only part of it is dense enough to be noticeably incandescent.

You could be right, as it was stated on a few sites Ive read that the atmosphere is Jupier sized. For example..

http://globalwarming-arclein.blogspot.com/2009/02/green-comet-lulins-passage.html

http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=7902

http://www.physorg.com/news153070017.html

http://www.spsnational.org/news/hotscience.htm