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Astronaut Photographs Comet Lovejoy ... From Space

Posted by timothy on from the just-in-the-neighborhood dept.

astroengine writes "The sungrazing comet that survived the plunge deep into the solar corona, only to escape after swinging behind the sun last week, has posed for an extraordinary photograph. Space station commander Dan Burbank caught Comet Lovejoy and its impressive tail hanging above the Earth's horizon as it begins its long journey back into deep space."

10 of 25 comments (clear)

  1. Re:tails by localman57 · · Score: 5, Funny

    That's tails plural. one for dust, one for gas ;)

    yeah. Also, what's with the elipsis (...) ? As in ... From Space? I mean, that's kind of what you expect, right? I mean, he's a god-damn astronaut. If you wrote a headline that says Astronaut Takes Picture ... From The Sea Floor, that might require an elipsis. Or maybe "Plumber Takes Picture ... From Space " that would be cool. Or maybe even if it was something you wouldn't expect an astronaut to do. Like "Astronaut helps Stranded Motorist Change Tire ... From Space." I can see that. But I just don't get the use of ... here. I mean even that crazy chick astronaut who had a car full of duct tape and pepper spray didn't get an ... in her headlines.

    Cool picture, though.

  2. Re:tails by pz · · Score: 4, Informative

    You mean one for electrically charged stuff, and one for electrically neutral stuff, no? Sure, yea, that ends up mostly being ionized gas vs dust, but the reason there are two is because one is affected by the solar magnetic field in the guise of the solar wind, and one isn't.

    Oh, okay, I used Google. We're both wrong. There are three tails, as shown in the figure here http://www.astronomycafe.net/qadir/q2805.html --- one for ionized gas, one for neutral gas (hydrogen, apparently), and one for dust.

    --

    Put my fist through my alarm clock with its ding-dong death inside my ear. - The Blackjacks.
  3. Light pollution by burning-toast · · Score: 2

    That's an amazing photo. And just seeing the stars in the background makes me really jealous (I'm in a suburb of a very large city, so I can barely see the major constellations even). Light Pollution for the loss.

    - Toast

    1. Re:Light pollution by cavreader · · Score: 2

      I remember my first time in the remote desert of Arizona and looking up at what I thought was some kind fuzzy haze but then realized it was just the stars. It was very impressive.

  4. Re:tails by mcgrew · · Score: 3, Interesting

    So it's plural for a horse's tail? One for bone, one for muscle, one for hair?

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    Free Martian Whores!
  5. Re:tails by mcgrew · · Score: 2

    yeah. Also, what's with the elipsis (...) ? As in ... From Space? I mean, that's kind of what you expect, right? I mean, he's a god-damn astronaut.

    Astronauts spend far more time on earth than from space, so I think the "from space" is warranted, especially since I'd be really disappointed if the headline read "Astronaut takes picture of comet" and it was a picture he took from his hotel room in Florida.

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    Free Martian Whores!
  6. Re:Sure is slingshot around the sun by mcgrew · · Score: 2

    Of course they did. They travelled a full day in only 24 hours.

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    Free Martian Whores!
  7. Re:tails by nedlohs · · Score: 2

    Exactly. You'd be disappointed because you would expect it to be a photo from space, showing that there is no need for the ellipsis and qualifier.

  8. Re:Amazing pic by chromas · · Score: 2

    These costs—would you say they're...astronomical?

  9. Re:tails by ultramk · · Score: 3, Funny

    Have you considered switching to a nice, soothing herbal tea? ;-)

    --
    You catch enchiladas by picking them up behind the head and holding them underwater until they don't kick anymore -VeGas