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A Comet To Watch
Anonymous Coward writes "Ever since comet Hale-Bopp I have been waiting for a new, bright(as in visible to the naked eye), comet. It seems that my wait may have come to an end. Recently discovered comet C/2002 X5 can currently be seen by northern sky watchers through a telescope. It is predicted that it will brighten considerably (magnitude -3) in late January. Let's hope it lives up to expectations. Spaceweather.com has the whole story."
Appears to be /.'d. Here is a mirror.
Magnitude -3 is pretty bright but not for an object closer to the magnitude -27 (or so) sun than Mercury. Mercury is already a challenge to observe because it can only be seen near the horizon just before sunrise or after sunset.
I won't hold my breath for a Hale-Bopp competitor but it should be a good target for people with small telescopes or binoculars. Of course, comets are notoriously unpredictable....
IANAAP, so I'm unqualified to offer unqualified blanket statements, but the likes of Hale Bopp will not be seen again during our lifetimes.
That thing was not only visible with the naked eye, it was spectacular. The tail was clearly visible as a long spray of light, even without telescopes or binoculars.
It was what a comet ought to be. Large against the sky, with streaming tail and glowing nucleus, and big enough that all these details can be made out with the naked eye.
I saw Halley's comet last time it came through and I was very disappointed. It was too small, too far away, and too dim to make it out even with binoculars.
If this next comet can rival Hale Bopp in its show, it will certainly be a treat.
I have been pwned because my
There's no doubt that a magnitude of -3 is bright enough to see with the naked eye, but the problem we'll have is the close proximity to the sun that the comet will have during its peak intensity. That will likely negate the ability to view it with the naked eye. SOHO C2 and, maybe, C3 images would be the best bets to observe this comet as it passes by the sun.
we don't want anymore people dressing up in purple wearing black nike's again... that wouldn't be good....
please me, have no regrets.
Sky and Telescope also has an article on the comet.
This article also points out the unfortunate fact that when the comet is at it's brightest, it will be directly on the opposite side of the sun, and impossible to observe from the Earth.
Liquor
Sanity is a highly overrated commodity.
...if you missed the mothership when it came around last time...
It's 10 PM. Do you know if you're un-American?
A sign of that horrid song-stuck-in-the-head phenomenon.
I looked at the story above, and suddenly a tune popped into my head. Y'all are going to kill my karma for this....
Remember that Hanson song that was all over the radio some years ago. Only, not as 'Mmmm-Bop'. I'm hearing 'Hale-Bopp'.
Good judgment comes from experience.
Experience comes from bad judgment.
while its all good seeing this kind of news on slashdot, its not all that useful for those of us in the southern hemisphere.
could we have some news about celestial events that we can see?
Dont ask me...Im just the bass player.