Md. skies clear, dry tonight for Comet Lulin
Except for the cold, the forecast out of Sterling this morning could not be better for those of us hoping to catch a glimpse of Comet Lulin as it makes its closest approach to Earth - a "mere" 38 million miles. Lulin should be visible high in the southern sky around 1 a.m., but you may be able to spot it earlier - say, after 11 p.m., if you look a little lower in the southeast.
Here is a sky map to guide you. The photo above was shot last week by Gary Honis, in Conyngham, Pa. Used with Gary's permission. You can explore the comet's orbit in 3D with this interactive tool.
Observers in recent days have said Lulin has brightened to a magnitude of 5.35. That's just a shade brighter than 6, which is considered to be the limit of naked-eye visibility. By contrast, Venus, high in the western sky after sunset, is a brilliant minus-4 at the moment. (The lower the number, the brighter the object.)
I would not count on being able to see the comet as a naked-eye object from urban or suburban locations tonight without binoculars, at least. A small telescope is even better. But if you can flee the urban corridor, you should be able to pick out the comet as a fuzzy blob or light alongside the planet Saturn. With binoculars or a telescope, you should be able to capture both comet and Saturn within the same field of view. A rare treat!
But if you're going out tonight, bundle up. The forecast low for BWI is 21 degrees. Today's gusty winds, which in combination with very low humidity, has increased the fire hazard this afternoon, should have died down by the time comet-watchers are venturing out.
If you can't bring yourself to venture out into the cold tonight (or even if you can), you can also watch the comet online. The Coca Cola Space Science Center in Columbus, Ga., will be Web casting the encounter after 11:30 p.m. tonight., You can join in by clicking here.
And here is a large and growing photo gallery of Lulin images. Some astronomers have assembled time-lapse movies of the comet moving in front of background stars.
Comments
Here in Glen Burnie, Lulin slowly appeared after 11pm. I had to look to the side of it to see it even with binoculars. But a thrill nonetheless, thanks again for letting us know about it.
FR: Great! Glad you caught it. I just came back inside after my first look, too. Definitely not a naked-eye object from my front porch. But once I figured out where to look, it popped out pretty well in 10x50 binocs.
Posted by: Larry Esser | February 24, 2009 10:13 PM
Hello
We are doing a special web cast of comet Lulin, from the Bareket observatory in Israel.
http://bareket-astro.com/en.htm
As a part of our IYA2009 outreach activities.
The web cast will begin TODAY (weather permitting) Wednesday 25th of February, from 19:00 UTC to dawn 02:30 UTC.
It will be available during the U.S day time !
The telescope will upload an image to the web site (see link below) in every 30 seconds.
Further details about the special web cast available at the following links :
http://bareket-astro.com/telescope_in/intro.htm
http://www.bareket-astro.com/live_webcast.html
Best regards,
Ido.
--
http://www.bareket-astro.com
Bareket observatory, Israel.
Posted by: ido | February 25, 2009 2:40 PM
I saw a commet in Glendale, AZ at 9:40-9-50 PM it look like a small white lazer beam in the sky. about 2 seconds long.
FR: Actually, what you saw, based on your description, was a meteor, not a comet. Comets are millions of miles away and move very slowly across the sky, remaining visible for weeks or months. Meteors are bits of dust seen as they enter the Earth's atmosphere and burn up. They are visible for no more than a few seconds. Meteors are also far more common than comets. They can be seen on any clear night. Comets visible to the naked eye are rarities.
Posted by: Jose Y | August 4, 2009 12:55 AM