Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

A Bright Green 'Christmas Comet' Will Fly the Closest To Earth In Centuries

Posted by BeauHD on from the perfect-timing dept.

On Sunday night, a comet that orbits between Jupiter and the sun will make its closest approach to Earth in centuries. According to Tony Farnham, a research scientist in the astronomy department at the University of Maryland, the comet will appear as a bright, fuzzy ball with a greenish-gray tint. "You've got a one-kilometer solid nuclear in the middle, and gas is going out hundreds of thousands of miles," says Tony. The comet glows green because the gases emit light in green wavelengths. The New York Times reports: The ball of gas and dust, sometimes referred to as the "Christmas comet," was named 46P/Wirtanen, after the astronomer Carl Wirtanen, who discovered it in 1948. It orbits the sun once every 5.4 years, passing by Earth approximately every 11 years, but its distance varies and it is rarely this close. As the comet passes by, it will be 30 times farther from Earth than the moon, NASA said. The proximity of 46P/Wirtanen provides an opportunity to research the tail of the comet and see farther into the nucleus.

The comet is visible now but it will shine even brighter on Sunday as it reaches its closest approach, 7.1 million miles from Earth. That may sound really far, but it is among the 10 closest approaches by a comet in 70 years, NASA said. Only a few of those could be seen with the naked eye. Don't worry if you miss the comet on Sunday. It should be just as visible for a week or two because its appearance will change gradually. After it moves on, it won't be this close to Earth again for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Online charts can help pinpoint its location.

111 comments

  1. So went outside and I looked up tonight... by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 4, Funny

    But all I got was a face full of rain. I live in the Pacific Northwest, you insensitive clod!

    --
    #DeleteChrome
    1. Re:So went outside and I looked up tonight... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Unusually, in NZ we had some clear night sky, but a strong gibbous moon. Still I scanned the appropriate area near the Pleiades with my 2000mm skyhunter rig which turned up NO green comet flare. Nada. Zip. Surely if its this close to us it should pop right out at you?

    2. Re:So went outside and I looked up tonight... by Mashiki · · Score: 1

      You sure you don't live in Canada? 'Cause that's pretty normal around here for pretty much any type of spectacle like this. Northern Lights as far down south as the central US? Overcast Canada. Comet's and shooting stars? Overcast. Stargazing on a hot summer night? Sorry it's muggy, and the approaching front will cause it to piss down rain. Oh, and snow. The only time I remember it not being like that, is when they said Haley's Comet was going to be this great gigantic spectacle and would glow like the heavens(still got the Time magazine article on that one). Barely a blip in the sky.

      --
      Om, nomnomnom...
    3. Re:So went outside and I looked up tonight... by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Puulleeese Pacific Northwest. You amateurs, where I live I'm lucky to see the full moon through the light pollution.

      Though seriously I'm thinking of pulling out the telescope (which I haven't used since I moved here), stacking every light pollution filter I have into the eyepiece and giving it a go. Though I suspect after an hour or so of setup to also get rained on.

    4. Re:So went outside and I looked up tonight... by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 1

      You sure you don't live in Canada? 'Cause that's pretty normal around here for pretty much any type of spectacle like this.

      Well I'm fairly certain Canada only has about 100 people, all of whom live either in Vancouver or Toronto - and Vancouver is also in the Pacific Northwest.

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    5. Re:So went outside and I looked up tonight... by Mashiki · · Score: 1

      Well I'm fairly certain Canada only has about 100 people, all of whom live either in Vancouver or Toronto - and Vancouver is also in the Pacific Northwest.

      It's really closer to 1000, I should know. I run the largest dairy up here, gotta tell you though it's a real bitch shipping milk in plastic bags from Ontario to British Columbia, then putting them into plastic and paper cartons.

      --
      Om, nomnomnom...
  2. Deer in the deadlights by MrKaos · · Score: 1

    It's kind of like looking up at the avalanche and wondering if it is going to hit you.

    --
    My ism, it's full of beliefs.
  3. If only this could have been posted pre Monday by Crashmarik · · Score: 4, Informative

    Maybe on say Friday ?

    Oh well people will still get to see the comet.

    1. Re: If only this could have been posted pre Monday by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What? And provide timely and relevant information? You must be new here, so youâ(TM)ll be forgiven. This time

    2. Re:If only this could have been posted pre Monday by Desler · · Score: 2

      You should just be glad this wasn't posted Tuesday in true Slashdot fashion.

    3. Re:If only this could have been posted pre Monday by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe on say Friday ?

      Oh well people will still get to see the comet.

      This is pretty typical lately.

    4. Re:If only this could have been posted pre Monday by syn3rg · · Score: 1

      A dupe probably will be...

      --
      The contents of this message have been doubly encrypted by ROT13
  4. Green light is green. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    "The comet glows green because the gases emit light in green wavelengths."

    Green light is green because it emits green light in green wavelengths.

    1. Re:Green light is green. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Lies! Blue light is blue because it feels sad, and red light is red because it has been naughty!

    2. Re:Green light is green. by scdeimos · · Score: 2

      I always thought red light was red because it was angry.

    3. Re:Green light is green. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, because it's communist.

    4. Re:Green light is green. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Comet's got g-a-a-a-a-s!! He will k-i-i-i-i-l-l u-u-u-s!!" _Achmed

  5. Seems pretty faint by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

    Looking up from the suburbs on a clear night tonight, I could not see it at all - the Sky Guide app was helpful in figuring out where it should be. Might try to go outside later and acclimate more to the dark for a while to try again.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  6. Lazy man's lookup link? by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 3, Funny

    Does anyone have a where and when to look for your location calculator link?

    I mean like, you type in "I am in Berlin" and the calculator says: "Set your alarm clock for 04:00, look South by Southwest, curse the weather, go back to bed".

    --
    Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
    1. Re:Lazy man's lookup link? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      From a quick search and a play with stellarium, it seems like the comet will be roughly in the area of the pleiades, so you want to look east, heading to south through the evening and into the morning.

    2. Re:Lazy man's lookup link? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Find Orion and follow the 'belt stars" to the right if you are in the Northern hemisphere (to the left for Southern hemisphere). You may notice a bright star (part of a 'V' which is part of Taurus) - almost there. A little further is a small cluster of stars, all together - that is the Pleiades. This comet is supposed to be about 1/2 way between the 'V' and the cluster. Hope this helps.
      For those who need more help, look up Orion online and see the star pattern you are looking for in the sky. BTW, you can always find North (or South) using Orion. I also suggest installing "Stellarium" and exploring the night sky with that.

  7. That's a terrible chart by Solandri · · Score: 5, Informative

    Doesn't name the constellations. In fact it's difficult to even see the constellations on it. Try this chart from Sky and Telescope. The comet is currently between Taurus and the Pleiades. Most occasional stargazers can locate those.

    Don't expect much though. It's currently at its peak magnitude of 3.9. Magnitude 6.0 is the dimmest you can see in dark skies, with most visible stars falling between -1.5 and +5. You're not going to see it with the naked eye from a city. Maybe a fuzzy blob with decent binoculars. The closest bright star is Aldebaran, which at magnitude 1 is about 15x brighter.

    1. Re:That's a terrible chart by SuperKendall · · Score: 2

      Thanks fr the binocular thought, I think I was just able to see it from within a city on a clear night, by staying outside a bit and acclimating... very fuzzy and indistinct though.

      Even that star chart would have made it hard to find though, the Sky Guide app let me search for the comet specifically and lead me to where it was in the sky, also showing it next to a small but very distinctive grouping of stars (as you said the Pleiades) that made it pretty easy to see where it should be...

      --
      "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    2. Re:That's a terrible chart by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 1

      This is the summary we were looking for.

      --
      My God, it's Full of Source!
      OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    3. Re:That's a terrible chart by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thank you - those charts really were useless and I was hoping someone had found some better ones!

    4. Re:That's a terrible chart by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Doesn't name the constellations. In fact it's difficult to even see the constellations on it.

      According to that chart it was right next to the Pleiades. If you can't find it based on that a constellation chart won't help you since you probably never looked into the night sky.

      But yes you're on point. Without a telescope, good binoculars or a camera to boost the contrast a bit along with a dark sky you're not going to see anything.

  8. Star Wars... by The+Original+CDR · · Score: 0, Troll

    Obi-Wan Kenobi: That's no comet... It's a rotten egg!

    Han Solo: It's too big to be a rotten egg!

    Luke Skywalker: I have a very bad feeling about this.

    1. Re:Star Wars... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do you have any essperience with roaming numerals?

      Chris is currently indisposed and can't reply to your post at the moment.

      Granny PottyMouth has just revealed to Chris (see https://slashdot.org/comments....) that most of the views on our YouTube channels were caused by one of her employee using her click-bots.

      She says she instructed him to stop immediately and what she says must be true since the views stopped on our channel and we have only 12 views since last week on our latest video "How to Pronounce The New Apple iPhone XR, XS & XS Max (September 2018)". Note that the pronunciation might change in December so make sure to keep watching our channel!
      --
      Ethell, Team Creimer Administrative Assistant.
      How to Pronounce The New Apple iPhone XR, XS & XS Max (September 2018)

    2. Re:Star Wars... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do you really think you're funny? Do you really think someone will read that and laugh?

      It's just random word salad. The kind you get with traumatic brain injury patients.

    3. Re:Star Wars... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, apparently creimer ate all the peyote in America causing the cactus to soon go extinct:
      https://science.slashdot.org/c...

      So please understand that creimer might find things that normal people wouldn't funny.

      Note as well that creimer eats anything including spare IT hardware parts like the ones found in IT closets.
       

    4. Re:Star Wars... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dear creimer,

      Thanks for putting the word "Troll" in the title of your post. This way, at least, everybody knows what they are dealing with; a troll.

    5. Re:Star Wars... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Still planning to leave users whom you think (not that you do) is creimer alone in 2019? Or were just masturbating in public because no one wanted to play with you?

    6. Re:Star Wars... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is why you're such a sad little fuck.

    7. Re: Star Wars... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Random link, shitty grammar...is this creimer?

  9. Weird Aliens by wolfheart111 · · Score: 1

    For halloween we get a comet the shape of a scull, now a bright glowing green xmas tree comet.... were being had. :)

    --
    [($)]
    1. Re:Weird Aliens by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      NASA and/or the Russians are projecting "comets" and space sciency stuff from their secret spy satellites! Don't forget folks, a minimum of three layers of tinfoil, or you will fall victim to these things. :) :) :)

    2. Re:Weird Aliens by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What does a small, oared racing boat have to do with Halloween

  10. Bah Humbug by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I have a real telescope and I am a pretty good amateur astronomer. I live at an elevation of 4000 feet in the mountains with low light pollution.

    I went out and looked at this comet last night (Saturday.) It was hard to spot with the naked eye. The quarter moon added a significant amount of light to the sky. With a modest telescope it was, in fact, a small barely discernible patch of green. Meh.

    The popular press seems to write up astronomy things that make good copy but are very hard to see, particularly for people who live in cities.

    Having said that, the constellation Orion was directly overhead and is very spectacular this time of year. No telescope required. The Orion Nebula (a.k.a. M42) is clearly visible near the end of the sword hanging from Orion's belt. This is definitely an easier to see and much more interesting object. Check it out.

    I must say that the 2017 total solar eclipse was a hell of an event. I went to Wyoming to see it and it was worth the trip. I am definitely going to Mexico (or Texas) in 2024 for the next "local" total solar eclipse. Some friends of mine and I were out last summer looking at Mars, Saturn and Jupiter with very good results.

    Bottom line: Astronomy is interesting and challenging. Just don't expect Hubble sized results without a Hubble sized budget.

    1. Re:Bah Humbug by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

      I totally agree about the solar eclipse. If you've seen a 99% eclipse you have seen nothing compared to a total solar eclipse, I saw it from Nebraska... I'll be somewhere watching the 2024 eclipse as well, and was sorely tempted to see one coming sooner - but you'd have to to to South America to see it, a bit too far for me.

      --
      "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    2. Re:Bah Humbug by xSander · · Score: 1

      That may explain why I didn't see it when I went out to a pretty much dark spot last Friday (no street lights, no buildings, just a highway road and water bodies all around). I was looking for the Geminids, thought I saw some dust-like flashes. The sky was not completely clear, after all. I did get the Pleiades on my camera, no green blob near it though. Maybe because the 1/3 moon was too overwhelming. I will have to try and identify other stars or star groups on that photo now.

    3. Re:Bah Humbug by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You mean to tell me no M42 view with mah f/1.8 50mm kit lens? I feel undersold. Nikon, Canon, Sony, the salesman and all those lying youtubers who make you believe you can shoot the horsehead nebula with just a 75-300mm zoom and a crop sensor camera. Dis-a-ppointed man, dis-a-ppointed. So what can my smartphone's "camera" do?....

    4. Re:Bah Humbug by 4im · · Score: 1

      Sure can - if you invest in a tracker. With that 50mm lens even a simple mechanical, wind-up tracker will do, provided you do a proper north alignment. For the 300mm lens, you'll have to go for a better model, something like a SkyWatcher StarAdventurer. There's some things to watch over, mirror lockup, ISO settings etc., lots of post-processing, but it is perfectly doable. You'll have to invest quite some time though, it's not point and shoot.

    5. Re:Bah Humbug by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      The popular press seems to write up astronomy things that make good copy but are very hard to see, particularly for people who live in cities.

      You just described the art in one sentence :-(

    6. Re:Bah Humbug by Megane · · Score: 1

      Don't forget the annular eclipse a few months before. I live near where both paths intersect, so it's going to be my "practice run" for the big one.

      --
      #naabhaprzrag, #sverubfr-000, #agi-fcbafberq, negvpyr[pynff*=' negvpyr-ary-'] { qvfcynl: abar !vzcbegnag; }
  11. Looked with binoculars, couldn't see anything by gaiageek · · Score: 1

    Clear skies in a medium-sized Midwestern city and I didn't see anything that looked different from a star.

    --
    www.gaiageek.com
  12. Nuclear? by scdeimos · · Score: 2

    RTFA, that's nucleus!

    1. Re: Nuclear? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah but the OP is a libtard SJW and does not subscribe to such nuances ;)

    2. Re:Nuclear? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are you sure? It might have a nuclear ....but guaranteed it doesn't have both even though the article claims it has both......that would be a physical impossibility.

      Also, I'm wondering if it is bright green or if it is greenish gray......
      hmmmmmm

    3. Re:Nuclear? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The summary also tells you the comet is green because the light coming off of it is green. Far beyond help.

    4. Re:Nuclear? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And mixing of units... argh! (Although this is apparently a quote and not the fault of the article/summary itself)

      "You've got a one-kilometer solid nuclear in the middle, and gas is going out hundreds of thousands of miles"

      Is Tony deliberately trying to confuse everybody? Just tell us how many handbreadths and maybe we can all understand.

  13. Good luck seeing it by scdeimos · · Score: 3, Informative

    It's magnitude 8.8. Nobody's going to see it with their naked eye - the limit there is about M6.7. GoSkyWatch and a decent set of 50mm binoculars should do the trick.

    1. Re:Good luck seeing it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      wtf are you on about? Its much brighter than that, 4.5 at least. Should get brighter some even predicted it reaching 3.

    2. Re:Good luck seeing it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hey! If my eyes are going to get naked I don't want green, I want pink.

  14. You know... by helpfulcorn · · Score: 1

    The comet in the film Maximum Overdrive also was green... I don't want to jump to any conclusions but I am absolutely certain all of our devices will kill us for Christmas.

  15. The Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham by NuclearCat · · Score: 2

    Good reason to read it again :)

    1. Re: The Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I came to this thread to warn about this. Thanks!

    2. Re: The Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, not Triffids...

      No one would have believed, in the last years of the
      nineteenth century, that human affairs were being watched from the timeless worlds
      of space.

      No one could have dreamed we were being scrutinized, as someone with a microscope
      studies creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. Few men even considered
      the possibility of life on other planets and yet, across the gulf of space, minds
      immeasurably superior to ours regarded this Earth with envious eyes, and slowly and
      surely, they drew their plans against us.

      At midnight on the twelfth of December, a huge mass of luminous gas erupted from Mars
      and sped towards Earth. Across two hundred million miles of void, invisibly hurtling
      towards us, came the first of the missiles that were to bring so much calamity to Earth.
      As I watched, there was another jet of gas. It was another missile, starting on its way.

  16. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 0

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  17. Information only relevant to tachyons, no? by CSMoran · · Score: 2

    Considering it's Monday.

    --
    Every end has half a stick.
  18. " gases emit light in green wavelengths" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I stopped reading right there. Obviously someone was an idiot when writing the article and knows jack. The gasses *filter* the light, not emit it.

    There are also several fuckups earlier on. Shitty journalism at it's best.

  19. At risk of sounding like a nerd... by SqueakyMouse · · Score: 2

    Emitting light in green wavelengths is not a sufficient condition for an object to appear green. Yellow and white objects also emit light in green wavelengths for example but do not appear green since they also emit other wavelengths. Then there are cases like the sun viewed from earth's surface where its colour is not just dependent on the wavelengths of light it emits but how the light is scattered by the atmosphere. There are also cases like blue feathers, which have no blue pigment, but still appear blue if you look at them from the right angle. There are of course other subtleties like redshift/blueshift.

    So telling us the comet's gas emits light in green wavelengths is informative and so is telling us that the comet would appear green to us but one statement does not imply the other.

    P.S. I thought the most obvious comment to make would be about a second coming of jesus or something given it's about a comet at christmas but haven't seen that so far. Strange.

    1. Re:At risk of sounding like a nerd... by Wulf2k · · Score: 1

      If the colour were somehow relevant to understanding the comet, or even expanded upon, it could be interesting.

      As phrased, it basically comes off as "it's green because it's green". There are no quirks to its colour to justify discussing wavelengths.

  20. Re: A great reason to celebrate Naziism! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hindus have been here for a long time. They will be around for a long time. They have no need to put up with crap from anybody

  21. Re: My name is GayPK and I'm gay!! by c6gunner · · Score: 1

    I like the part where that one guy says to him "I'm sure you have a great deal of valuable knowledge".

    Hilarious!

  22. The real reason it is green by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "The comet glows green because the gases emit light in green wavelengths."

    When light interacts with retinas of your eye, it activates green light receptors. Green is the color of receptors it activates.

  23. What are the guidelines to name comets? by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

    The ball of gas and dust, sometimes referred to as the "Christmas comet," was named 46P/Wirtanen, after the astronomer Carl Wirtanen, who discovered it in 1948.

    If it was discovered in 1948, why is it named "46P/Wirtanen"? Why not "48P/Wirtanen"? And what does "P" mean? It's certainly not part of "COMET".

    And why is it in the "number slash name" format anyway? Wouldn't it be better to call it "Wirtanen 48"?

    --
    #DeleteFacebook
    1. Re:What are the guidelines to name comets? by thrich81 · · Score: 3, Informative

      Without looking up some details, here are a couple of answers. The "P" means it is a periodic comet - one of the relatively few which have had an orbit determined. Comets originate way out on the edge of the solar system and many of them discovered have never been seen before and when they return to way out there, never will be again. The periodic comets have had their orbit perturbed by a planet at some time in the past and are in much smaller orbits with periods measured in tens of years (maybe hundreds) instead of tens of thousands. This comet 46P/Wirtanen has a relatively short orbital period of 5.4 years. The "46" means it is the 46th comet to have been assigned by the astronomical community as periodic. Discovered in 1948 and it is only the 46th determined periodic comet -- shows there are not many of them. The first assigned periodic comet is Halley's comet, now designated, 1P/Halley.

    2. Re:What are the guidelines to name comets? by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

      +5 informative.

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
    3. Re:What are the guidelines to name comets? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They should have called it "Comet Cupidandonneranblitzen"

  24. stellarium website coolness factor x10 by AndrewFlagg · · Score: 1

    i checked out the link of the stellarium website and product. very cool. any others like this?

  25. Green by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "The comet glows green because the gases emit light in green wavelengths"

    You don't say.

  26. On ArseHOLETechnica by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Arstechnica = losers who stalked me (as you do now anonymously unidentifiably) to NTCompatible.com & Windows IT Pro magazine forums to their public dismay in Jeremy Reimer & Jay Little + Jarrett DeAngelis (who posts here on /. until I drove his ass off too) when their websites were REMOVED by their hosting providers in Shaw Canada & CrystalTech (for both email harassing me caught on a tracking ticket + stalking me & posting lies about me on them).

    Right AFTER I destroyed them both PUBLICLY @ Windows IT Pro on Exchange Servers memory being freed UNHALTING them (which tells you Exchange is HEAVILY POINTER ORIENTED linked list driven, which leads to memory fragmentation that CAN halt a serverware).

    Jay Little the "self-proclaimed 'EXCHANGE EXPERT'" HAD TO CONCEDE IT from MICROSOFT'S OWN DOCUMENTATION proving it FOR me there (where they as usual stalked me AS YOU ARE NOW)

    Peter Bright/Dr. Pizza (alias GOITERMAN, lol) can tell you what happened to his IRC server after that (lol).

    "The great arseHOLEtechnica" (not) RUN OUT of their own server chatrooms hahaha (by "yours truly").

    In effete retaliation they edited my posts & impersonated me on their little private playpen of UNDERACHIEVER losers.

    APK

    P.S.=> ABOVE ALL ELSE: Thanks for outing yourself as 1 of the "few, the defeated" from arseHOLEtechnica - always a pleasure exposing your lame asses (that are nothing more than do-NOTHING "ne'er-do-wells" THAT CAN'T STAND THEMSELVES for it (lol, no shit) & that you are REDUCED to STALKING ME by UNIDENTIFIABLE anonymous too... lmao!)... apk

  27. Catching you IMPERSONATING me c6gunner by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject:It was a pleasure exposing you & that's the best ya had vs. a challenge that you show you did better https://linux.slashdot.org/com... & that CHILDISH bs was weak of you & exposes your "methods" & LACK of knowledge + anything you could SHOW for yourself.

    APK

    P.S.=> Give up already - everytime you pull your crap you only hurt yourself JEALOUS "Lil' Jowie" do-NOTHING "ne'er-do-well" you clearly are - you prove otherwise (Oh, that's right - you already PROVED YOU CAN'T, lmao - hence your ANTICS now)... apk

  28. Moving FAST! by kbahey · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This comet is moving really fast!

    Last night was the first break in the clouds in about a month and a half. So I got out my astrophotography rig, which is based on the open source OnStep STM32 telescope controller.

    The moon was bright, and there was too much moisture in the atmosphere. So, not ideal conditions.

    As far as comets go, this one is underwhelming. It lacks a tail, and is below naked eye visibility. But what is remarkable, is that this comet was sure moving fast against the background stars.

    A 5 minute exposure shows a fuzzy streak that goes in a different direction than the streaks from stars due to a hasty and inaccurate polar alignment.

    Here is a screenshot of the 5 minute exposure, and another 60 seconds exposure.

    Clouds rolled over and I had to call it a night.

    Oh, and if you want an Open Source telescope controller, here are more videos on OnStep on the STM32.

    --
    2bits.com, Inc: Drupal, WordPress, and LAMP performance tuning.
  29. Sorry this disappoints you: I'm not gay... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject, enjoy your downmod as always & w/ "ne'er-do-well" 'supporting you' (you're him) in c6gunner https://linux.slashdot.org/com... you're hurting.

    * BUTTHURTING over your stupidity & taking it out on ME? Please - you did THAT to yourself.

    APK

    P.S.=> Especially running from a FAIR CHALLENGE I put to you after you tried "putting me down" c6gunner - you showed your TRUE COLORS (yellow) IMPERSONATING ME forgetting to submit anonymously as registered 'lusers' like YOU can, lol... apk

    1. Re:Sorry this disappoints you: I'm not gay... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      APK
      GO the fuck AWAY!

      Seriously, nobody wants to read your SHIT, it is useless SPAM and we are all sick of it!

      APK
      GO the fuck AWAY!

      APK
      GO the fuck AWAY!

      APK
      GO the fuck AWAY!

      APK
      GO the fuck AWAY!

  30. Quoting a film hero of mine... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "I'm not leavin': This is ground zero. This is MY site! I'm not gonna let this happen. I can still fix this..." Dr. Robert Neville I am LEGEND...

    * Get it? Good...

    WHY? Another quote from that excellent sci-fi flick & the great Richard Matheson:

    Results vs. threats online in https://linux.slashdot.org/com... https://news.slashdot.org/comm... https://apple.slashdot.org/com... https://it.slashdot.org/commen... https://it.slashdot.org/commen... https://it.slashdot.org/commen... https://it.slashdot.org/commen... https://it.slashdot.org/commen... https://it.slashdot.org/commen... https://search.slashdot.org/co... https://it.slashdot.org/commen... https://it.slashdot.org/commen...

    * That's only recently while I've been on Linux (July 2018) & 100's of times vs. MANY other botnets/malwares etc. in the past circa 2006-early 2018 while I was on Windows: CONCRETE VISIBLE UNDENIABLE REALITY (see those links as proof). ... & that's ONLY what /. reported on (there are FAR more)

    APK

    P.S.=> "It's working: Neville... it's working!" - "I AM LEGEND" + Another quote from that excellent inspirational film that applies to "YOUR KIND" (filthy vampires whom Matheson OFTEN wrote about): "Typical human behavior is now ENTIRELY ABSENT..." apk

    1. Re:Quoting a film hero of mine... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > "I'm not leavin': This is ground zero. This is MY site!

      I think I speak for everyone when I say NOBODY would miss you.

      Go find something productive to do.

  31. Really? You 'stand behind your words' as AC?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    'Standing behind your words' as UNIDENTIFIABLE anon? I am doing something constructive (MacOS port) https://news.slashdot.org/comm... & THAT announcement of mine a few days back here on /. seems to have REALLY "gotten your goat" advertiser/webmaster/malware-maker/botnet herder (obviously as nobody would BITCH about my giving users of my work & hosts more SPEED/SECURITY/RELIABILITY & ANONYMITY online but THEM).

    * Practice what YOU 'preach', troll - I do w/out a doubt per my post you replied to https://science.slashdot.org/c...

    ONLY TO HAVE YOUR BS TURNED AGAINST YOU EASILY hypocrite...

    APK

    P.S.=> Speaking for "everyone" too? Please - TONS disagree w/ you on TONS of levels, w/ proof here https://yro.slashdot.org/comme... outnumbering you as I OUT-THINK, OUTSMART & JUST PLAIN "OUT" YOU easily as always... apk

  32. Full resolution images of 46P Wirtanen by kbahey · · Score: 2

    Here are full resolution images from yesterday.

    5 minute exposure.

    1 minute exposure. Even at that short of an exposure, the comet is zipping along in the sky ...

    --
    2bits.com, Inc: Drupal, WordPress, and LAMP performance tuning.
  33. c6gunner it's better than you do w/ proof by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    c6gunner it's better than you can do w/ proof in a challenge I put to you that YOU RAN from https://linux.slashdot.org/com... & like I said before you IMPERSONATED me (forgetting to submit anon as registered 'lusers' like YOU can do)?

    When YOU do better, then TALK (all you DO is chatter apparently since you can't show ANYTHING worthwhile others like/use/praise as they do my work w/ 100,000++ users or more by now worldwide that does a GREAT JOB both speeding up & PROTECTING users vs. threats of MANY kinds).

    * Yes, I KNOW it's YOU again as you're already in this thread earlier here https://science.slashdot.org/c... & my response to you there is SIMILAR to now.

    APK

    P.S.=> OpenSORES eh? Tell us about node.js https://securityintelligence.c... bushwhacked &/or https://www.bleepingcomputer.c... (far from a complete list of like examples mind you) OR Google EFast (malicious Chrome doppleganger due to its code being out THAT CAN'T HAPPEN TO ME that way)... apk

  34. c6gunner, enjoy your downmod... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject: Additionally enjoy my exposing that you IMPERSONATED me before too https://linux.slashdot.org/com... simply because you couldn't live up to a FAIR CHALLENGE I put to you after you tried to "put me down" - you put yourself down & were CAUGHT impersonating me submitting via your registered 'lusername' on /. instead of submitting anonymously.

    * Grow up man - get over your "butthurt" already.

    APK

    P.S.=> You showed up here again & I put you in your PLACE (the sewer where all RATS like you are) again https://science.slashdot.org/c... ... apk

  35. I'm not gay & THIS got your goat...apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject: For the 10th++ time you've done this today? GROW UP fool - apply your energies to more constructive things instead.

    * I've noticed an "uptick" in you doing it EVER SINCE I ANNOUNCED I'm getting a Mac on the 21st to PORT my already MULTIPLATFORM program to Macs:

    APK Hosts File Engine 2.0++ 64-bit for Linux h t t p : / / a p k . i t - m a t e . c o . u k / A P K H o s t s F i l e E n g i n e F o r L i n u x . z i p (remove spaces between chars & download)

    APK Hosts File Engine 10++ SR-1 32/64-bit for Windows https://hosts-file.net/?s=Down... (DL link @ bottom)

    (Bet THAT's it, lol - you could do the same you know vs. being a troll... think about it).

    APK

    P.S.=> Sorry to disappoint you, again: I'm not homosexual & though THAT may 'upset' your "StRaNgE-PhaNtaSiEs" you apparently HAVE about ME? LOL, that's fact, I'm not gay... apk

    1. Re:I'm not gay & THIS got your goat...apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      APK
      GO the fuck AWAY!

      If you're being bullied, it's because you made yourself a nuisance!

      APK
      GO the fuck AWAY!

      APK
      GO the fuck AWAY!

      APK
      GO the fuck AWAY!

  36. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 1

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  37. Nuclear by dcw3 · · Score: 1

    @BeauHD Do you read this stuff before you post it? Let me help you...
    http://www.pas.rochester.edu/~...

    --
    Just another day in Paradise