Brightest comet in thirty years headed our way
When the sun sets tonight, go outside and look
west. You may see the brightest comet in thirty years hanging just above the
horizon. It’s Comet McNaught.
When the sun sets tonight, go outside and look
west. You may see the brightest comet in thirty years hanging just
above the horizon. It’s Comet
McNaught.
Last night, “as the comet descended in the west, it turned reddish and seemed to glow very brightly–almost like a spark or ember. Awe inspiring!” reports Leslie Sheldon of Kanata, Ontario. “I can only imagine what it would look like in truly dark skies.”
“After receiving a Space Weather alert on my cell phone, I drove straight to the highest point in the area,” adds Sal Viviano of Washington, Michigan. Looking down at McNaught, he was rewarded by this “brief but beautiful” view:
Last night, “as the comet descended in the west, it turned reddish and seemed to glow very brightly–almost like a spark or ember. Awe inspiring!” reports Leslie Sheldon of Kanata, Ontario. “I can only imagine what it would look like in truly dark skies.”
“After receiving a Space Weather alert on my cell phone, I drove straight to the highest point in the area,” adds Sal Viviano of Washington, Michigan. Looking down at McNaught, he was rewarded by this “brief but beautiful” view:
In the days ahead, Comet McNaught will pass the sun
(temporarily disappearing in the glare) and emerge in good position for southern
hemisphere viewing later this month. Meanwhile, solar heating will continue to
puff up the comet, causing it to brighten even more. It could become one of the
brightest comets in centuries, visible even in daylit skies.
Posted: Thu - January 11, 2007 at 09:45 AM