The brightest comet appeared near the Earth

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

A comet has appeared on the earth's horizon, which may become one of the brightest in the history of observations. It was discovered by Australian astronomer Robert McNaught, who has already accounted for 30 previously unknown comets.

From 12 to 14 January, the comet can theoretically be seen by residents of Russia, Europe, Canada and partly North America. According to experts, it will be held in such a way that it will be noticeable even at dusk, not to mention the night sky. True, for this it is necessary to be in an area free of clouds, therefore, in practice, residents of the European part of Russia in most cases will not be able to see it due to impenetrable clouds.

At the time of discovery, the comet, which received the name of its discoverer (ie McNaught) and entered the catalogs under the very prosaic designation S / 2006 R1, looked very modest - a dim dot that could only be seen through a telescope. But, approaching the Sun, she became a real beauty: she sparkled brightly, acquired a long, beautiful tail. In the Northern Hemisphere, it was visible before sunrise and after sunset, ITAR-TASS notes.

Tomorrow comet McNaught will come very close to the Sun, 25.4 million kilometers, that is, it will be closer to it than the first planet of the solar system, Mercury. How this will affect the behavior of the comet and what processes will begin in its nucleus, nobody can predict yet. It will be monitored by the American spacecraft SOHO, which will be able to transmit photographs to earth.

According to NASA astronomer Tony Phillips, the comet has already become the brightest comet observed over the past 30 years.

McNaught is six times brighter than Comet Hale-Bopp, which "visited" Earth in 1997, and 100 times brighter than Comet Halley, which arrived in 1986. According to him, the new comet will be a colorful sight in the Southern Hemisphere for weeks, maybe months. It may even become the brightest comet ever.

If astronomers were as fond of making the tops of the brightest "shooting stars" as glossy magazines like to do star tops, then the comet rating would look like this.

The brightest comets of the twentieth century are Halley's Comet in 1910, then called the "Great Comet of Daylight." And the closest (and brightest) appearance of Halley's comet was noted in 837. Also in the last century, comets Schellerup-Maristani (1927), Bennett (1970), Vesta (1976), Hale- Bopp (1997).

The brightest comets of the nineteenth century are probably the Big Comets of 1811, 1861, and 1882. Earlier very bright comets were recorded in 1743, 1577, 1471 and 1402.