0 Persons are tagged with #comet

#comet

ramnath@nerdpol.ch
ramnath

enter image description here

GREEN #COMET, RED PLANET: Comet ZTF (C/2022 E3) is having a close encounter with #Mars. Alan Dyer of Gleichen, Alberta, photographed them together in the constellation Taurus on Feb. 10th:

"The passage of Comet C/0222 E3 (ZTF) less than 1 degree from Mars made for a photogenic grouping," says Dyer. "I shot it with several focal lengths framing the entire constellation of Taurus, then zooming in to frame the main star clusters in Taurus, then zooming in even more to frame just the comet and Mars, with Mars at the end of a long filament of dark interstellar dust."

The two celestial bodies are a study in contrast. Mars is red (due to rust in the planet's regolith). Comet ZTF is green (due to diatomic carbon in its atmosphere). Mars is 100 times brighter and easy to see with the unaided eye. Comet ZTF is nearly invisible.

Astrophotographers, point your optics at Mars and take a long exposure. The comet will appear nearby.
https://spaceweather.com/

4 Likes
ramnath@nerdpol.ch
ramnath

#X-ray #Solar #Flares
6-hr max: X1 1548 UT Feb11
enter image description here
A DANGEROUS SUNSPOT: Sunspot AR3217 has a 'beta-gamma-delta' magnetic field that harbors energy for X-class solar flares. Indeed, it just unleashed one (see below). The sunspot is turning toward Earth so any flares this weekend are likely to be geoeffective.
SOLAR #FLARE AND RADIO BLACKOUT: Earth-orbiting satellites have just detected an X1.1-class solar flare from sunspot AR3217 (Feb. 11th @ 1548 UTC). Extreme #UV #radiation ionized the top of Earth's atmosphere, causing a strong shortwave radio blackout over South America
enter image description here

#Comet ZTF is approaching the ecliptic and is now near #Mars," says Jaeger. On. Saturday night they will be less than 1 degree apart.

The two celestial bodies are a study in contrast. Mars is red (due to rust in the planet's regolith). Comet ZTF is green (due to diatomic carbon in its atmosphere). Mars is 100 times brighter and easy to see with the unaided eye. Comet ZTF is nearly invisible.
https://spaceweather.com/

ramnath@nerdpol.ch
ramnath

enter image description here

COMET #ZTF HAS ARRIVED: It only took 50,000 years. During the #StoneAge, faraway Comet ZTF (C/2022 E3) began falling toward the inner solar system. Today it finally reached #Earth, only 0.28 AU away. This is what the comet looks like from point-blank range:

"There is a strong curved dust tail, a long blue ion tail, and a vivid green coma," says photographer Michael Jaeger of Weißenkirchen in der Wachau, Austria. "It's a beautiful comet."

The ensemble is now glowing with an integrated magnitude near +4.8. It is barely visible to the naked eye (at best, a faint smudge), but a terrific target for small telescopes. Northern observers are favored. The comet is racing through Camelopardalis (the Giraffe), a constellation near the Big Dipper and the North Star. The best time to look is during the dark hours between midnight and dawn after the Moon has set.
#SUN ERUPTS BIG AT THE #COMET #sonews
https://www.bitchute.com/video/uObvWV1HtTMx/

ramnath@nerdpol.ch
ramnath

enter image description here

FIRE AND ICE-- #COMET ZTF OVER #MOUNT #ETNA: Astrophotographer Dario Giannobile has been yearning to photograph Comet ZTF (C/2022 E3). "Animated by this desire, I took advantage of the only night with clear skies that occurred in this last ten days of January," says Giannobile. "My destination? Snowy Mt. Etna!"

Mt. Etna in eastern #Sicily is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. Right now its hot vents are surrounded by deep snow--a marvelous yet challenging backdrop for comet photography.

"During the night the temperature dropped to -8°C at an altitude of 2000 meters, an exceptionally cold temperature for Sicily!" says Giannobile. "However, the landscape was breathtaking: an expanse of soft snow disturbed only by some fox and rabbit footprints. In the South East crater, some hot spots appear in the dark. They are fumaroles from which volcanic vapors come out... and in all this, the beauty of the sky with the splendid comet rising from the side of the volcano."

"The view was breathtaking, expressing, in a single image, a feeling of strength and delicacy, fire and ice."

https://spaceweathergallery2.com/index.php?title=ZTF

5 Likes
ramnath@nerdpol.ch
ramnath

enter image description here

#COMET REPORT: Comet ZTF (C/2022 E3) is approaching Earth for a close encounter (0.28 AU) on Feb. 1st. "The comet is just visible to the naked eye--if you know where to look," reports Alan Dyer of Gleichen, Alberta. He photographed it last night about midway between the Big and Little Dippers:

"The dust tail, anti-tail and long ion tail were visible to the camera, but in binoculars only a short stubby dust tail was obvious," Dyer says. "Otherwise, the comet looked like a large fuzzy glow in binoculars."

Jan Curtis of Oracle, Arizona, also photographed the comet last night. "I saw it under near-perfect skies," he says. "The comet is now moving 9.8 arcmin/hour (the Moon's diameter in just 3 hours). I'd estimate the comet's brightness at +5.3 with the gaseous ion tail extending more than 5 degrees."

The comet's motion across the sky will accelerate as it approaches Earth, making it harder to track even as it becomes easier to see. If current trends continue, the comet's brightness will peak on Feb. 1-2 around magnitude +5, an easy target for backyard astrophotographers. Look for it in the constellation #Draco.
https://spaceweather.com/

One person like that
ramnath@nerdpol.ch
ramnath

#X-ray #Solar #Flares
6-hr max: M3 1015 UT Jan13

enter image description here

#COMET ZTF AT #PERIHELION: Comet ZTF (C/2022 E3) hasn't been this hot in 50,000 years. On Jan. 12th, the comet made its closest approach to the sun (perihelion) only 1.1 AU away. Solar heat has turned it into an easy target for backyard telescopes:

Amateur astrnomer Michael Jaeger took the picture yesterday from his backyard observatory in Weißenkirchen Wachau, Austria. "The comet's narrow ion tail extends far beyond the edge of the image," he says. "Take a look."

Discovered in March 2022 by the Zwicky Transient Facility, Comet ZTF has been falling toward the sun for more than 50,000 years. Now is its moment to shine. Proximity to the sun has brightened the comet to magnitude 6.5, almost visible to the unaided eye.

Soon, strike "almost." After perihelion, Comet ZTF heads toward Earth for a close approach on Feb. 1st (0.28 AU). This will brighten the comet even more to a projected peak magnitude of +5, visible to the naked eye, binoculars, and small telescopes. Between now and then, look for Comet ZTF before sunrise in the constellation #Corona #Borealis

https://spaceweather.com/

One person like that
ramnath@nerdpol.ch
ramnath

SUNSPOT WANTS TO #FLARE: It seems like every spot on the #sun wants to flare. In the past week alone, three different sunspots have produced X-flares, and even more are crackling with M-class flares. With unstable sunspots scattered across the face of the sun, the chance of a geoeffective flare today is greater than 70%. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
enter image description here

#COMET ZTF AT #PERIHELION: #Comet ZTF (C/2022 E3) hasn't been this hot in 50,000 years. Today, Jan. 12th, the comet makes its closest approach to the sun (perihelion) only 1.1 AU away. Solar heat has turned it into an easy target for backyard telescopes:

Never miss another geomagnetic storm. Sign up for Space Weather Alerts and you'll receive a text message when magnetic storms erupt. Aurora tour guides and professional astronomers use this service. You can, too!

EVERY SUNSPOT WANTS TO FLARE: It seems like every spot on the sun wants to flare. In the past week alone, three different sunspots have produced X-flares, and even more are crackling with M-class flares. With unstable sunspots scattered across the face of the sun, the chance of a geoeffective flare today is greater than 70%. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.

COMET ZTF AT PERIHELION: Comet ZTF (C/2022 E3) hasn't been this hot in 50,000 years. Today, Jan. 12th, the comet makes its closest approach to the sun (perihelion) only 1.1 AU away. Solar heat has turned it into an easy target for backyard telescopes:

"I took this picture on Jan. 11th," says Dalibor Hanžl of Pavlovice, Czech Republic. "The comet looked great through my 8-inch telescope."

Discovered in March 2022 by the Zwicky Transient Facility, Comet ZTF has been falling toward the sun for more than 50,000 years. Now is its moment to shine. Proximity to the sun has brightened the comet to magnitude 6.5, almost visible to the unaided eye.

Soon, strike "almost." After perihelion, Comet ZTF heads toward Earth for a close approach on Feb. 1st (0.28 AU). This will brighten the comet even more to a projected peak magnitude of +5, visible to the naked eye, binoculars, and small telescopes. Between now and then, https://spaceweather.com/