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WILL A COMET HIT MARS? According to analysts at NASA, newly-discovered Comet 2013 A1 (Siding Spring) will pass very close to Mars in Oct. 2014. Observations through March 1, 2013, suggest a flyby only 31,000 miles from the red planet's surface, and NASA cannot yet rule out an impact. Stay tuned for updates.
COMET PAN-STARRS AT SUNSET: Observers in the southern hemisphere are getting a good view of Comet Pan-STARRS (C/2011 L4). It appears in the western sky just after sunset, a faint but easy target for the naked eye and a wonderful sight through binoculars or a small telescope. The comet was 100 million miles from Earth on March 5th when John Sarkissian of New South Wales, Australia, took this picture:
"I photographed Comet Pan-STARRS as it set behind the CSIRO Parkes Radio Telescope (made famous in the movie The DISH)," says Sarkissian. "This is a 5 second exposure taken through my Canon 400D digital camera set on ISO 1600."
Several important dates are approaching. On March 10th, Comet Pan-STARRS makes its closest approach to the sun (0.3 AU). At that time, solar glare might make it difficult to see even as the nucleus vaporizes and brightens. On March 12th and 13th, the comet will reappear in the sunset sky--this time in the northern hemisphere not far from the crescent Moon; think photo-op! Light curves suggest that the comet's brightness will peak near 2nd magnitude, similar to the stars of the Big Dipper. Check the realtime comet gallery for the latest images.
More about Comet Pan-STARRS: NASA video, 3D orbit, ephemeris, light curves.
Realtime Comet Photo Gallery
LUNAR TRANSIT: It's not everyday you get to see a massive spaceship transit the Moon. In Argentina, March 5th was such a day. Amateur astronomer Mariano Ribas reports: "For the first time in my life, just 90 minutes before sunrise in Buenos Aires, I had a very good chance to see and photograph from my home the International Space Station (ISS) passing exactly in front the Moon." The image below is a composite of two snapshots, showing the ISS on either side of Mare Imbrium, the Sea of Rains:
"It was an extraordinary experience," adds Ribas. "I took these images using my Canon Rebel XTi digital camera attached to my 12-inch telescope."
Lunar transits of the ISS happen fairly frequently, but they only last for a split second. You have to know precisely when to look. Transit predictions are available from CalSky.org.
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
FARSIDE EXPLOSION: An active region on the farside of the sun exploded during the early hours of March 5th, hurling a bright CME into space. Cameras onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) recorded the expanding cloud:
NASA's STEREO-Behind spacecraft is stationed over the farside of the sun, directly above the blast site. An extreme UV telescope onboard the spacecraft recorded a movie of the explosion. The responsible active region will rotate onto the Earthside of the sun in less than a week, which means geoeffective solar activity is in the offing. Solar flare alerts: text, voice.
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
Realtime Noctilucent Cloud Photo Gallery
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