[ad_1]
Comet 46P / Wirtanen will make its closest run to Earth in the last 70 years since its discovery. we can see it with the naked eye
When will it be possible to see the "Christmas comet" approaching the Earth
His name is very festive: 46P / Wirtanen.
The 46P completes its orbit every 5 years and, most of the time, for the first time pbades very far from the Earth. to be visible to us. Astronomers believe that this pbadage will be closer to Earth in 70 years.
On December 16, however, the comet could be seen here, according to the US Space Agency. For astronomy enthusiasts, it will bring a novelty: it will be the brightest comet to pbad near the planet in the last 20 years.
Even visible, the comet will be about 11.6 million kilometers from the Earth (more or less 30 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon)
Although it sounds like a lot, experts believe that this is sees to the naked eye.
Excellent observation conditions
observers of the comet Wirtanen of the University of Maryland, at least in the United States, the observation conditions will be excellent.
The university, which has an Internet page dedicated to tracking the 46P, says that the comet should be visible. "most of the night" in the northern and southern hemispheres, when it gets closer to the Earth.
According to academics, the appearance of 2018 will be historic for a single reason: it will be the tenth comet to pbad over on earth in the modern era.
Green and hyperactive
The "Christmas comet" is green. Color is recurrent in comets, such as Lovejoy and Machhol, and is due to its coma – the glowing cloud of gas and dust that surrounds it. It contains cyanogenic and diatomic carbon, which emits a green light when it is ionized by sunlight.
The "Christmas comet" is also "hyperactive". "The effect is due to the fact that the 46P core contains a large amount of volatile ice that is heating up," says the University of Maryland.
and feeds coma, while the comet moves at a speed of 34,000 km / h.
The appearance of the 46P should have been the most memorable since it was discovered by Carl Wirtanen 70 years ago at Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton. , California, January 17, 1948.
BBC Canada – All rights reserved – Reproduction is prohibited without the written permission of the BBC
Source link
