Comet Lulin is approaching us! It’s approaching us! I’ve never been such excited blogging here!
On 24 Feb 2009, Comet Lulin is going to pass the Earth by just 60.8 million km. Could you imagine that? At apogee (farthest), the Moon is 0.4 million km from us. Check out the sky map below to look out the comet!
Click to enlargeMany have already been out at the backyard busy imaging the great comet. The gallery at SpaceWeather.com is growing faster and faster when the day comes close to 24 Feb. Comet Lulin is a green tinted comet. You will see it as a greenish patch on the southern sky. The telescope will show you even more. From some degree, the comet even looks like a sword with its tail and anti-tail.
What if you’re going to miss the show due to the weather? No worry, Coca-Cola Space Science Center is going to broadcast the view through their 16″ Schmidt Cassegrain telescope. It starts at 1530 GMT on 23rd Feb 2009 until 1000 GMT on 24th Feb.
Comet Lulin is a great discovery with the collaboration of Chinese and Taiwanese. More story later, the comet is drawing my attention. 
An annular solar eclipse taken by Hartwig Luenthen on 01 August 2008
On 26 January 2009, we celebrate Chinese New Year, the Ox Year. This year, we are “favored” a partial solar eclipse here in Malaysia. I said “favored” as if we were in centuries ago, a solar eclipse meant a terrible nightmare to the Chinese. Not in these days, we are now equipped with scientific minds, a solar eclipse now means a wonder from the sky.
Now, let’s cut straight into the title. Go to this NASA website and look out for your location. You will be given exact time when the solar eclipse will start and reach the maximum and finally end. Check out Solar Eclipse 2009 too. There’s useful information like the coverage of the obscured sun, basic skills to look at the sun, sunglasses making and so on. This booklet is made by Miss Lau at National Planetarium in Malaysia.
Make sure you are well equipped with solar filter before looking at the sun. The damage to the eyes but the strong rays of light from the sun is irreversible!
Wish everybody enjoys the Chinese New Year! This maybe my last year celebrating CNY in Malaysia until another 4 years with my family members if I go to US for tertiary education.
Biggest moon you’ll see until Nov 2016The moon looks so big during the sunset that I almost crash into it
My buddy, agogo said so to me when he saw the moon while driving to Victor’s house for TOEFL tuition.
Indeed, the moon looked really big today. Well, you guess the reason. Hmm.. Don’t worry that the moon will collide with our earth although it looks like there’s possible to happen. In fact, both the moon and earth are seperating apart by 2cm per earth year.
The moon looks biggest when it’s near the horizon. I believe it’s because of the refraction caused by the particles of the atmosphere. For your information, from our line of sight, atmosphere is the thickest at the horizon and thinnest at the zenith (overhead).
Therefore, if you want to take fantastic photo, I suggest you do it when the moon is near to the horizons, either it’s rising or setting will do.
Let’s go into some facts. The moon is 14% bigger and 30% brighter than the lesser full moon earlier of the year. It looks biggest as it’s now at the perigee. Perigee is a point where the moon is closest to us at its eclipse orbit which is 50,000 km closer to us than the other side. Simply said, when moon is at perigee (perigee moon), it’s closest to the earth. The opposition of perigee is apogee.
Well, enjoy your show. Tomorrow, we will have Geminids meteor shower!!
The Great Conjunction of Venus, Jupiter and the crescent Moon at 7:41pm UT+8 on 1 Dec 2008
Taken by Nokia N82
What a coincidence! Look to the southwest before the twilight ended. You would appreciate you walk out for a view.
Venus, Jupiter and Moon will get so close in a part of sky 3º across. A binocular may fit them in the field of view. This event doesn’t require any skill to enjoy, just seize the moment, away from your keyboard now and make your eyes wide open.
Go now! (Now’s it’s the time for people in timezone GMT+8)
Please check Heavens Above regarding the passing of ISS and STS-117. The STS-117 has undocked from ISS and prepared to return to earth on Thursday. This will be a very great chance to photo the flyby of them. Most of the America has the sight of them. I don’t have the chance to take the photo as the nearest flyby is only going to happen on 29 June. The STS-117 has backed to earth by that time.
Ok guys, gear up!
Simulation above is courtesy of Larry Koehn. Click to enlarge.
Watch out for this event! This is a great chance for those who have solar telescope or solar filtered telescope who wish to take a memorial photo or observe visually. If you miss this, you are going to wait for another 10 years, i.e., 9 May 2016. Most Americans, Asians (except Indians), Aussies and those who live in the visible area have the chance to enjoy this transit. It starts at 3:12 am GMT+8 on 9 November 2006 and lasts for 5 hours.
You must protect your eyes with solar filter. If you have a telescope, make sure that it has a proper and safe solar filter (I’m going to get Baader Astrosolar Film for my 8″ LX90). Don’t look at the Sun directly, it will severely damage your eyes. For those who don’t have any of the equipments or not lucky enough to be in the visible area, you may visit SOHO on 9 November 2006 for the real time movies.
To know the exact time of the transit happens in your area, please visit NASA – Transit of Mercury 2006.
Mercury transits can occur only in May or November, when the planet crosses the ecliptic plane. And they happen rarely – 13 or 14 times per century.
Recommended Equipments
- Coronado Personal Solar Telescope
- Solar film filtered telescope (I’m getting a Baader)
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