Comet Lovejoy

[Douglas McMann]

A poor image, but hopefully good enough to get everyone out for a look before it leaves us...

To the left, we have The Pleiades, or Seven Sisters (No. 45 on the Messier Table of Astronomical Objects). Very visible to the naked eye on our southern skies, somewhat to the right of Orion .

To the right, the little green blob is Comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy), a long-period comet discovered on 17 August 2014. With an outbound planetary orbit of about 8000 years, there's a decent chance that most of us will not be around to see it return...

Worth a squint if you get a clear night...

 

[Pete Askew]

Thanks, Dougie.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Yes, thanks, Dougie. 8,000 years, eh? Special. My friend, Bill Samson, photographed it too, the result looking very like yours, as it would. Both of you have the orb as green. Why would it be green?

 

[Pete Askew]

"The green glow comes from molecules of diatomic carbon (C2) fluorescing in ultraviolet sunlight in the near-vacuum of space. (In addition cyanogen, CN, can add some violet to the green, but our eyes are fairly insensitive to violet light.) - See more at: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astr...vejoy-tonight-122920141/#sthash.4FXhixof.dpuf"

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/observing-news/spot-comet-lovejoy-tonight-122920141/

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Now I know...I think. Thanks, Boss.

 

[Douglas McMann]

"The green glow comes from molecules of diatomic carbon (C2) fluorescing in ultraviolet sunlight in the near-vacuum of space. (In addition cyanogen, CN, can add some violet to the green, but our eyes are fairly insensitive to violet light.) - See more at: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astr...vejoy-tonight-122920141/#sthash.4FXhixof.dpuf"

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/observing-news/spot-comet-lovejoy-tonight-122920141/

What he said...

 

[Brian Moore]

"The green glow comes from molecules of diatomic carbon (C2) fluorescing in ultraviolet sunlight in the near-vacuum of space. (In addition cyanogen, CN, can add some violet to the green, but our eyes are fairly insensitive to violet light.)

I was just about to say that...