If you are like me,
you love to look up to the skies on a clear night
and take in all the beauty the stars have to offer.
So I am grateful for the early news flash that the comet
is approaching soon
and I can plan for a little viewing party.
By
Caitlin O'Kane
on CBSNews.comThis year's brightest comet will fly across the night sky next week,
dazzling stargazers across the world. The comet named "46P/Wirtanen" is
about to pass relatively close to Earth – a mere 7.2 million miles away. To
earthlings, that might sound like an extremely long distance, but
46P/Wirtanen will actually be among the 10 closest comet to approach
Earth in modern times, The Associated Press reports. According to the astronomy site Sky & Telescope, it is set to be the 20th-closest comet dating as far back as the ninth century. The
comet's brightness may be great enough for people to see it with their
naked eyes. This would make it the brightest comet of the past few
years. However, it will be harder to spot in areas with a lot of light
pollution. Writing for Sky & Telescope,
Joe Rao warns, Even for those who are blessed with dark and starry
skies, finding the comet could prove to be a bit of a challenge. This is
because the comet will be unusually large in angular size, as well as
appearing very diffuse ... almost ghostly. Wirtanen's closest approach to Earth will be Sunday, December 16, EarthSky reports.
People should be able to view it between 9:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. if the
sky is clear, according to the AP. This makes viewing much more
accessible than some other comets, since it will appear in the sky
early, instead of in the middle of the night.
This is,
Yes,
My Blog Has Become An
Information Page,
A Humorous Page,
And A Story Telling Site For Your Enjoyment,
Jim Hauenstein,
And,
“Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.”
- Marcus Aurelius -
That is my story and I am sticking to it!
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