A Bright Comet Is Coming

[mick silver]

http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/solarsystem/comet_mcnaught.html I seen some thing about a comet coming near earth next week and I can not find it ... http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroidwatch/

[Dogman]

Been waiting for this one, just hope it does become visible to the eyes. last great one to see was Hale-Bopp I spent many nights watching it move through the sky.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_Hale%E2%80%93Bopp

[foolsgold]

Sorry here's a link to all the visible comets this week. comet McNaught is down near the bottom of the list. You will need a 10 inch telescope to see it.

Now it is between 16.2 mag (Dec. 20, Taras Prystavski) and 20.5 mag (Dec. 20, B. Lutkenhoner). Extremely diffuse, and hard to observe.

Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h)
Jan. 24 3 7.44 -1 39.7 9.250 9.469 99 17.5 18:54 ( 0, 53)
Jan. 31 3 6.83 -1 12.1 9.400 9.505 93 17.6 18:53 ( 11, 53)

[foolsgold]

You'll have better luck seeing comet Lovejoy with the naked eye. Find instructions at this link.

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/observing-news/spot-comet-lovejoy-tonight-122920141/

heres a nice shot by an amateur with a good camera and lens on a tracking mount.

http://www.stuartheggie.com/p38826260/haf7b198#haf7b198

[mick silver]

Asteroid to Fly By Earth Safely on January 26 http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/asteroid/20150113/Asteroid2004BL86-16.jpg This graphic depicts the passage of asteroid 2004 BL86, which will come no closer than about three times the distance from Earth to the moon on Jan. 26, 2015. Due to its orbit around the sun, the asteroid is currently only visible by astronomers with large telescopes who are located in the southern hemisphere. But by Jan. 26, the space rock's changing position will make it visible to those in the northern hemisphere. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
› See video (http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/asteroid/20150113/Asteroid2004BL86.gif)
An asteroid, designated 2004 BL86, will safely pass about three times the distance of Earth to the moon on January 26. From its reflected brightness, astronomers estimate that the asteroid is about a third of a mile (0.5 kilometers) in size. The flyby of 2004 BL86 will be the closest by any known space rock this large until asteroid 1999 AN10 flies past Earth in 2027.
At the time of its closest approach on January 26, the asteroid will be approximately 745,000 miles (1.2 million kilometers) from Earth.
"Monday, January 26 will be the closest asteroid 2004 BL86 will get to Earth for at least the next 200 years," said Don Yeomans, who is retiring as manager of NASA's Near Earth Object Program Office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, after 16 years in the position. "And while it poses no threat to Earth for the foreseeable future, it's a relatively close approach by a relatively large asteroid, so it provides us a unique opportunity to observe and learn more."
One way NASA scientists plan to learn more about 2004 BL86 is to observe it with microwaves (http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2006-00a (http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2006-00a) ). NASA's Deep Space Network antenna at Goldstone, California, and the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico will attempt to acquire science data and radar-generated images of the asteroid during the days surrounding its closest approach to Earth.
"When we get our radar data back the day after the flyby, we will have the first detailed images," said radar astronomer Lance Benner of JPL, the principal investigator for the Goldstone radar observations of the asteroid. "At present, we know almost nothing about the asteroid, so there are bound to be surprises."
Asteroid 2004 BL86 was initially discovered on Jan. 30, 2004 by a telescope of the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) survey in White Sands, New Mexico.
The asteroid is expected to be observable to amateur astronomers with small telescopes and strong binoculars.
"I may grab my favorite binoculars and give it a shot myself," said Yeomans. "Asteroids are something special. Not only did asteroids provide Earth with the building blocks of life and much of its water, but in the future, they will become valuable resources for mineral ores and other vital natural resources. They will also become the fueling stops for humanity as we continue to explore our solar system. There is something about asteroids that makes me want to look up."
NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office is experiencing its first transition in leadership since it was formed almost 17 years ago. On Jan. 9, after a 39-year-long career at JPL, Yeomans retired. Paul Chodas, a long-time member of Yeomans' team at JPL, has been designated as the new manager.
NASA detects, tracks and characterizes asteroids and comets using both ground- and space-based telescopes. Elements of the Near-Earth Object Program, often referred to as "Spaceguard," discover these objects, characterize a subset of them and identify their close approaches to determine if any could be potentially hazardous to our planet.
JPL manages the Near-Earth Object Program Office for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
More information about asteroids and near-Earth objects is at:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroidwatch (http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroidwatch).
To get updates on passing space rocks, follow:
http://twitter.com/asteroidwatch (http://twitter.com/asteroidwatch)

[mick silver]

I have this scope I wonder if I can see the Asteroid with it , http://www.meade.com/starnavigator-130mm-reflecting-telescope-with-goto.html

[Dogman]

I have this scope I wonder if I can see the Asteroid with it , http://www.meade.com/starnavigator-130mm-reflecting-telescope-with-goto.html


Yep!

Have a mead 8" Schmidt-cassegrain non computer mount that I need to send in to be re-mirrored. Been thinking of going with a dobi , now I have the time think of grinding my own mirror thinking a 10" seeing I have ground and figured smaller ones in the past, would be major cool for me to do one that size. Blanks are cheap, and tubes also.

Pure light bucket.

[mick silver]

I cant find my plug that go from the scope to the computer I guess I will order one from them . plus they have new maps I need also

[Dogman]

I cant find my plug that go from the scope to the computer I guess I will order one from them . plus they have new maps I need also One good thing about non computer controlled mounts, is you sure need to learn the sky!

And not relying on self driven mounts,or watching a computer screen for the go to's , in some ways at least to me, makes it to easy.

Good scales on the mount if it is a equatorial mount and polar setup can get one close to the correct declination and right ascension if the target has coordinates that can be used or star hop using charts.

[mick silver]

it just a mother ship going by ... Giant asteroid set to buzz Earth, poses no threathttp://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/d/0c/d0c3eb8ca18907492a4b337b5cec5193.jpeg (http://www.reuters.com/) By Irene Klotz 13 hours ago





http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/qJ_iFpkO.c.MdmncfVYBtw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTM3NztweG9mZj01MDtweW 9mZj0wO3E9NzU7dz02NzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_US/News/SPACE.com/Big_Asteroid_to_Zoom_by-48a3b1568afc18269e1b4642a9c55a18 (http://news.yahoo.com/giant-asteroid-set-buzz-earth-poses-no-threat-050727015.html#)
. View gallery



http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/_Fbj43RxFZ4aO58cZXsQqw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTgzLjI1O3B5b2ZmPTA7cT 03NTt3PTE0OA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_US/News/SPACE.com/Mountain-Size_Asteroid_to_Fly_by-f55496aa96829bc7809d3bad4d03500e (http://news.yahoo.com/giant-asteroid-set-buzz-earth-poses-no-threat-050727015.html#)
.






By Irene Klotz



CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla (Reuters) - An asteroid measuring about a third of a mile (half a kilometer) in diameter will make a relatively close, but harmless pass by Earth Monday night, NASA said.
The asteroid will pass about 745,000 miles (1.2 million kilometers) from Earth, roughly three times farther away than the moon.
Amateur and professional astronomers are preparing to watch the flyby, which will be most visible between 8 p.m. EST Monday and 1 a.m. EST Tuesday from the Americas, Europe and Africa.
A small telescope or binoculars will be needed to see the asteroid, which is known as 2004 BL86.
"While it poses no threat to Earth for the foreseeable future, it's a relatively close approach by a relatively large asteroid, so it provides us a unique opportunity to observe and learn more," astronomer Don Yeomans, with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, said in a statement.
View gallery
http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/INgHtQjCFc.zhdAr_AfpdQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTE4NDtxPTc1O3c9MzAw/http://media.zenfs.com/en_US/News/SPACE.com/Mountain-Size_Asteroid_to_Fly_by-f55496aa96829bc7809d3bad4d03500e
(http://news.yahoo.com/photos/mountain-size-asteroid-fly-earth-monday-nasa-watch-photo-204906764.html)An artist’s concept of a near-Earth asteroid flying close to Earth.

The asteroid, which orbits the sun every 1.84 years, was discovered 11 years ago by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research, or LINEAR, telescope in New Mexico.
Scientists plan to map the asteroid's surface with radar during the flyby in hopes of learning more about its size, shape, rate of rotation and other features.
"At present, we know almost nothing about this asteroid, so there are bound to be surprises," astronomer Lance Benner with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., told SpaceWeather.com.
Asteroid 2004 BL86 will be the largest asteroid to pass this close to Earth until asteroid 1999 AN10 flies by in 2027, NASA said.
NASA currently tracks more than 11,000 asteroids in orbits that pass relatively close to Earth. The U.S. space agency says it has found more than 95 percent of the largest asteroids, those with diameters 0.65 miles or larger, with orbits that take them relatively close to Earth.
An object of that size hit the planet about 65 million years ago in what is now Mexico's Yucatan peninsula, triggering a global climate change that is believed to be responsible for the demise of the dinosaurs and many other forms of life on Earth.
Two years ago, a relatively a small asteroid exploded in the atmosphere over Chelyabinsk, Russia, leaving more than 1,500 people injured by flying glass and debris. That same day, an unrelated asteroid passed just 17,200 miles from Earth, closer than the networks of communication satellites that ring the planet.
Websites planning live coverage of Monday night's flyby include NASA's Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (sservi.nasa.gov), Slooh.com and The Virtual Telescope Project 2.0.
(Editing by Jeremy Laurence)


Science
Space & Astronomy
NASA


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[mick silver]

a little doom for the doomers .... There is also the remote possibility that this asteroid is knocked off course by another asteroid, and then its new path is a direct collision with earth

[Glass]

so what happened? Did we all die?

The comet was spherical? Does that happen often?

Apparently it had it's own "moon" or at least "something" was tagging along.

link (http://www.theage.com.au/technology/sci-tech/massive-asteroid-that-flew-past-earth-brought-a-surprise-its-own-moon-20150127-12zk43.html)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-cl=84838260&v=1y7CYf4X3Lo&x-yt-ts=1422327029&feature=player_embedded

Nasa link (http://www.nasa.gov/jpl/asteroid-that-flew-past-earth-today-has-moon/)