Green light for a close encounter: 'Jupiter-sized streak past Earth tonight

Green light for a close encounter: 'Jupiter-sized streak past Earth tonight

www.dailymail.co.uk

We have known of its existence for only two years. But if you raise your eyes heavenwards over the next few nights, you might just catch a glimpse of the comet Lulin.

Glowing green, it will come within 38million miles of Earth, the closest it has ever been, and about the same distance away as Mars.

Lulin, photographed here by an astronomer in Arizona, was discovered by a 19-year-old student from a photo taken at Lulin Observatory-Taiwan, in 2007.

(visit the link for the full news article)



[edit on 24-2-2009 by smokingman2006]

This should answer the questions of all those member who have been posting about the green light in our skies lately

It is still quite amazing in this day and age that the comet was only found as little as two years ago.

So member make sure you all look up tonight to see the wonder which should light up the evenings skies.

Please flag this for fellow member to get a chance to see something odd and rare this evening.

Peace & hope
SM

www.dailymail.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 24-2-2009 by smokingman2006]

I cant believe, its been there for 2 years, and is not on Microsoft worldwide Telescope.

Well you should try something like starry night, it's there. I was following it just in case the clouds would scatter enought to take pictures, but no luck

funny how something as close as the distance to mars .. so close to us..
needs to be discovered by a kid only 2 yrs ago.
same with schoemacher.

-

Don't say that, youll set off the Nibiru people.
They'll go crazy and start trying to madly sell us books.

Surely that cant possibly be right

"Jupiter sized" ??? i always thought Jupiter wasnt far off being large enough to have become a sun (thanks Arthur C Clarke 2010). How can an object that large naff around the solar system without seriously wonkying up the orbits of stuff?

It cant be that big really can it?

Originally posted by expatwhite
"Jupiter sized" ??? i always thought Jupiter wasnt far off being large enough to have become a sun (thanks Arthur C Clarke 2010). How can an object that large naff around the solar system without seriously wonkying up the orbits of stuff?

Ok of course the actual body of the comet is not Jupiter sized! But it's tail will be very long, basically as comets (dirty snowballs as they are) come in towards the sun they start heating up and spewing gasses and material, thats why you get a tail, one that always points away from the sun no matter which direction the comet is traveling.

That's how a comet say a 1000 meters across can be as 'large' as Jupiter.

You'll need to know exactly where to look to see Comet Lulin, and be well away from street lights etc. It is visible to the naked eye, but only just. About magnitude 5 (ie same as a very faint star)

Look just below and to the right of Saturn






With binoculars you should be able to detect a greenish tinge


btw the coma is the size of Jupiter, not the nucleus

More info on Lulin:

www.skyandtelescope.com...

[edit on 24-2-2009 by Essan]

Originally posted by Now_Then

Originally posted by expatwhite
"Jupiter sized" ??? i always thought Jupiter wasnt far off being large enough to have become a sun (thanks Arthur C Clarke 2010). How can an object that large naff around the solar system without seriously wonkying up the orbits of stuff?

Ok of course the actual body of the comet is not Jupiter sized! But it's tail will be very long, basically as comets (dirty snowballs as they are) come in towards the sun they start heating up and spewing gasses and material, thats why you get a tail, one that always points away from the sun no matter which direction the comet is traveling.

That's how a comet say a 1000 meters across can be as 'large' as Jupiter.

Ahhhhh i see

cheers for that- did strike me as odd that a big chunk of rock the size of Jupiter trundling about should perhaps have been spotted before. I must be having a really really dense morning. I might see about changing my name to captain thicky

This is hopi indian prophicies, could this be the blue star there on about? you have to admit it does look blue also, if you see it from earth it looks blue..

The Blue Star is seen as the starting herald of a Great Purification period beginning prior to 2012. This would last for 7 years in total. Interestingly comet Holmes 17P travels an orbit around the sun 7 years long. That fact makes for a rather ominous coincidence if you ask this researcher. That should mean the great purification runs through 24-10-2007 to 24-10-2014. It is said that it will begin when the Saquasohuh (Blue Star) Kachina dances in the plaza and removes his mask. Which partly relates to a certain ceremonial dance involving a specific religious mask from what I understand. It is however also explained as an actual solar object. First it would be represented in dances and later seen in the sky by all peoples of the Earth. The Hopi ceremonies will supposedly no longer be carried out once the "Kachina" removes his mask. This will be during a dance in the plaza that is held before uninitiated children. In all likelihood that may refer to one of the dances allowed to be viewed by white tourists. Although for a while there will be no more ceremonies, eventually the ‘Oraibi’ will be rejuvenated with new faith and new ceremonies, marking the start of a new cycle of life. It is also held by many of the Hopi that WWIII may start at that time and would be initialised by the very people who first revealed the light. that is those people in the other ancient nations. Likely candidates are India, Persia, Egypt and China. Although the war will be spiritual in nature conflict will be tested via the material as well. Material things will be destroyed by spiritual beings. Some will remain to create a new one-world, one-nation under one power, that being the Great Spirit (i.e. Compassionate environmentally balanced governance).

reply to post by expatwhite


Yhea for most of it's life a comet will be out in the furthest reaches of out solar system frozen solid ball of ice, rock and anything else they pick up... That's whay the scientists love them, they are like a sample of the achient solar system that periodically swings past our way to say hello!

Most of the time they have no tail and are very hard to spot, they have no light of their own, it's only when they get close enough to the sun do they suddenly spring into life - this one is green, that would of already told scientists a lot, they can analyse the light to find out what it's made of.

Would the energy waves from something so massive passing so close be felt at all here on Earth?

Originally posted by smokingman2006
This should answer the questions of all those member who have been posting about the green light in our skies lately

No, it does not. The comet is so dim, it is not even close to the brightness of the stars in the "Belt of Orion", and those could no more light up the sky than a single candle could light a large sports-stadium! Comets do not cause bright flashes in the sky, unless they happen to be entering the atmosphere!

Originally posted by smokingman2006
It is still quite amazing in this day and age that the comet was only found as little as two years ago.

Again, no it is not. This comet is a 'long period' comet. It spends much of it's life so far away from the sun that it can hardly be seen. Comets are hard to see when they are away from the sun because the sun vaporises ice/gas trapped in the comet, making it glow, but away from the sun, this does not happen, so comets like this are hard to find.

There are thought to be many more comets like this that have been undiscovered. See this thread for example.

What's more interesting is the fact that this was discovered by a 19 year old amateur astronomer.

You'd think that the days of amateurs discovering stuff like this with the naked eye would long since have been replaced with the military finding stuff way in advance of the rest of us.

Originally posted by BorgHoffen
Don't say that, youll set off the Nibiru people.
They'll go crazy and start trying to madly sell us books.

just in case that happens the time is nigh to openle state yet again for the 64 $trillionth time. Nibiru is Jupiter.....

oopps wrong thread.....

Originally posted by Retseh
You'd think that the days of amateurs discovering stuff like this with the naked eye would long since have been replaced with the military finding stuff way in advance of the rest of us.

Our solar system is a very big place

Looking for comets is a bit like looking for needles in a hay stack.

Most comets are found through photographic observations rather than naked eye observations. This comet would have been much fainter than would be visible to the naked eye, when it was discovered.

Edit to add: And I think most comets are discovered by amateurs too. The vast majority come from SOHO observations, but these are usually so close to the sun, they are destroyed soon after they are seen in most cases. There are a surprising amount of amateurs who spend their time hunting for comets.

[edit on 24-2-2009 by C.H.U.D.]

Am I the only one who first read it as Luclin? I need to put Everquest out of my memory for good.



Here's my favorite part of the article:

Lulin, photographed here by an astronomer in Arizona, was discovered by a 19-year-old student from a photo taken at Lulin Observatory-Taiwan, in 2007.

[edit on 24-2-2009 by saint4God]

reply to post by prevenge


Agreed. It's fascinating how little we "know" about the world. If we were living in ancient days, I think we'd actually know more about the universe.