Spotted Comet Could Be Brighter Than Moon
- 12 years ago
Spotted Comet Could Be Brighter Than Moon - as part of the news series by GeoBeats.
A comet has been spotted that is predicted to shine brighter than the full moon, and make a pass near the sun towards the end of 2013.
The discovery was made by the International Scientific Optical Network in Russia. Predictions regarding its brightness mean that the comet could be one of the most significant astronomical happenings in recent history. It is scheduled to be completely visible to the naked eye in November of 2013. But don’t be too quick to fall for the hype. Other comets have been predicted to show up in the night sky and awe on lookers, only to be barely visible, or not show up at all.
“It could turn into a huge let down if it's a comet that's just too fragile and dissipates as it makes its way into the inner solar system," said Karl Battams, from the Naval Research Laboratory that monitors comets for the Sungrazer Comet Project associated with NASA.
The comet is now in the Cancer constellation, and by the time it reaches its predicted peak next year it will have passed into the constellation Virgo.
A comet has been spotted that is predicted to shine brighter than the full moon, and make a pass near the sun towards the end of 2013.
The discovery was made by the International Scientific Optical Network in Russia. Predictions regarding its brightness mean that the comet could be one of the most significant astronomical happenings in recent history. It is scheduled to be completely visible to the naked eye in November of 2013. But don’t be too quick to fall for the hype. Other comets have been predicted to show up in the night sky and awe on lookers, only to be barely visible, or not show up at all.
“It could turn into a huge let down if it's a comet that's just too fragile and dissipates as it makes its way into the inner solar system," said Karl Battams, from the Naval Research Laboratory that monitors comets for the Sungrazer Comet Project associated with NASA.
The comet is now in the Cancer constellation, and by the time it reaches its predicted peak next year it will have passed into the constellation Virgo.