Foo - Cool, a Comet in February!

Space Weather News for Jan. 9, 2009
http://spaceweather.com

APPROACHING COMET: Comet Lulin (C/2007 N3), discovered in 2007 by a collaborative team of Taiwanese and Chinese astronomers, is swinging around the sun and approaching Earth. The photogenic comet has a bright tail and an "anti-tail" visible in mid-sized backyard telescopes. At closest approach in February, Comet Lulin is expected to brighten to naked-eye visibility. Visit http://Spaceweather.com for sky maps, pictures and more information.

NEW SUNSPOTS: For the second time this week, a sunspot is coalescing on the surface of the sun. The spot's high latitude and magnetic polarity identify it as a member of new Solar Cycle 24; its appearance continues a recent trend of gradually intensifying new-cycle solar activity. The spot is growing rapidly and may soon provide a nice target for backyard solar telescopes.

FULL MOON ALERT! This weekend's full Moon is the biggest and brightest of 2009. It's a "perigee Moon" as much as 50,000 km closer to Earth than other full Moons we'll see later this year. Perigee moonlight shining through icy winter air can produce beautiful halos, coronas, moondogs and other atmospheric optics phenomena. Sample photos are featured on today's edition of Spaceweather.com.

cool!

Way Cool! Thanks for the heads up Tom!!!!

FULL MOON ALERT! This weekend's full Moon is the biggest and brightest of 2009. It's a "perigee Moon" as much as 50,000 km closer to Earth than other full Moons we'll see later this year. Perigee moonlight shining through icy winter air can produce beautiful halos, coronas, moondogs and other atmospheric optics phenomena. Sample photos are featured on today's edition of Spaceweather.com.

The low tide today was crazy low. You could almost walk between St. Simons and Sea Island.

FULL MOON ALERT! This weekend's full Moon is the biggest and brightest of 2009. It's a "perigee Moon" as much as 50,000 km closer to Earth than other full Moons we'll see later this year. Perigee moonlight shining through icy winter air can produce beautiful halos, coronas, moondogs and other atmospheric optics phenomena. Sample photos are featured on today's edition of Spaceweather.com.

Any full moon can produce those effects. They're just more impressive the closer it is.

By the way, check out this APOD for the difference between apogee and perigee:

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap071025.html

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0710/ApogeePerigee2006_ayiomamitis.jpg

But...but...comets are harbingers of DOOM.

*sings the doom song*

*sings the doom song*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMW0pbF0nHo

2007 Comet Lulin? I'd rather have an old Comet Cyclone.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ac/1966_Mercury_Comet_Cyclone.jpg/500px-1966_Mercury_Comet_Cyclone.jpg

i did not know comet bring doom i thought is was this car http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:NWhupM-xATWUSM:http://www.plymouthcentral.com/files/Christine01.jpg

cool tom i am a fan of spaceweather as well cool site

I just stepped outside and can confirm that said moon is bright. We've had so much cloud cover recently it's almost a surprise to see it.

Comet Lulin is expected to brighten to naked-eye visibility

Fifth/sixth magnitude is stretching what I would call "naked-eye visibility."

Fifth/sixth magnitude is stretching what I would call "naked-eye visibility."

w/o normal light pollution, maybe.....