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Eagles Fan in 'Skins Land

by philliefan_00 from Arlington, VA

Last Post 339 days, 18 hours Ago


From skyandtelescope.com:

Future prospects (by Alan MacRobert). "My bet is this comet will stay bright for a long while. The yellow-white color is dust reflecting sunlight, and dust is what keeps a comet bright. As opposed to gas (comet gas is green and blue), which blows away quickly in the solar wind. Also, the brilliant stellar nucleus and the inner-coma fan suggest that the nucleus us still producing a lot of dust. This comet won't fade out soon.

"As for a tail: I expect it'll be short and stubby when or if it forms. The tail should be pointing more or less away from Earth in space — we're looking down its length — since the comet is only about 45° away from the point in the sky opposite the Sun. The size of this angle won't change a lot in the next couple months."
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Skies are due to clear out by tomorrow night, though a bright near-full moon hovering nearby could be a problem.  Still -- can't wait to check this out!

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philliefan_00

North Virginia for Statehood! Yes, I said "North" Virginia.

Member Since: 8/18/2006