Comet Swann

For your "out of this world" discussions.

Postby Superluminal » Tue Oct 31, 2006 1:13 am

Good for you, I can cancel my trip out west 8) . The comet is on a hyperbolic course that will take it out of the solar system, its as if it brightened on last time to say goodbye.
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Postby Мастер » Tue Oct 31, 2006 1:30 am

Superluminal wrote:Good for you, I can cancel my trip out west 8) . The comet is on a hyperbolic course that will take it out of the solar system, its as if it brightened on last time to say goodbye.


??? If it is on a hyperbolic course, wouldn't the last time also be the first time? Or was it previously on an elliptical trajectory, but got a nudge from one of the larger and less well-mannered occupants of our solar system?
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Postby Superluminal » Tue Oct 31, 2006 2:13 am

I believe it got a nudge from Jupiter on its last obit.
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Postby umop ap!sdn » Tue Oct 31, 2006 4:06 am

Superluminal wrote:I can cancel my trip out west 8) .

No don't do that! *sigh* Missed yet another chance to meet a fellow Illuminatus. :P

Superluminal wrote:I believe it got a nudge from Jupiter on its last obit.

Kind of a fitting typo. :(

I went ahead and unpacked my 'scope. It was almost by accident that I found it again (epsilon Herculis is too dim to see naked eye that close to the horizon among the light pollution in my area) but I could see it in the same FOV as eps Her and one dimmer star. Still only an indistinct smudge but bright enough to see without peripheral vision.

Having been a while, I decided to check out Albireo and the waxing Moon. What a beautiful natural satellite we have. :D I went back to find the comet again and it had moved! It and the 2 stars were all lined up in a row. Then a dim satellite passed into my FOV.

By the time I packed up and went inside the comet had moved some more and was again offset from the stars.
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