Space
Comet Encke, Dubbed Spaceflight's Comet, to Make Close Fly By Near the Sun This Month [VIDEO]
Benita Matilda
First Posted: Nov 13, 2013 07:26 AM EST
Ever since we entered November, space enthusiasts have set their eyes on sky to see the icy visitor 'Comet ISONs' journey through the solar system. By the end of the month the comet is expected to shine bright, making it visible to the naked eye.
This year is filled with a lot of cosmic activity. One of the periodic comets 'Encke's comet' will fly past our star just a week before the Comet ISON's - dubbed Comet of the century, close encounter with the sun.
The periodic comet Encke's comet (2p/Encke) completes an orbit of the Sun once in every three years. Scientists believe that the comet gave rise to meteor showers known as Taurid that recently put up a spectacular show in Southern California. A solar observation mission STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory) launched in 2006, observed that comet Encke's tail was temporarily ripped off by magnetic field interaction that was triggered by coronal mass ejection. This event was observed on April 20, 2007.
The diameter of the nucleus is 4.8 km and the comet has low albedo and reflects just 4.6 percent of the light it takes in.
According to The Westmorland Gazette, using binoculars the green-color Comet Encke can be spotted close to 5 a.m. towards the east, where the stars of the constellation Leo shine brightly above the horizon. Comet Encke will be seen glowing lightly beneath and to left of Mars.
Sources claim that the comet that can be seen in the Auriga constellation has made one close approach to Mercury, two close approaches to Jupiter and 11 close approaches to Earth. Currently, this is the brightest comet. On November 21, the comet will make the closest approach to the Sun.
Watch How the Comet Loses Its Tail.
See Now:
NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone
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First Posted: Nov 13, 2013 07:26 AM EST
Ever since we entered November, space enthusiasts have set their eyes on sky to see the icy visitor 'Comet ISONs' journey through the solar system. By the end of the month the comet is expected to shine bright, making it visible to the naked eye.
This year is filled with a lot of cosmic activity. One of the periodic comets 'Encke's comet' will fly past our star just a week before the Comet ISON's - dubbed Comet of the century, close encounter with the sun.
The periodic comet Encke's comet (2p/Encke) completes an orbit of the Sun once in every three years. Scientists believe that the comet gave rise to meteor showers known as Taurid that recently put up a spectacular show in Southern California. A solar observation mission STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory) launched in 2006, observed that comet Encke's tail was temporarily ripped off by magnetic field interaction that was triggered by coronal mass ejection. This event was observed on April 20, 2007.
The diameter of the nucleus is 4.8 km and the comet has low albedo and reflects just 4.6 percent of the light it takes in.
According to The Westmorland Gazette, using binoculars the green-color Comet Encke can be spotted close to 5 a.m. towards the east, where the stars of the constellation Leo shine brightly above the horizon. Comet Encke will be seen glowing lightly beneath and to left of Mars.
Sources claim that the comet that can be seen in the Auriga constellation has made one close approach to Mercury, two close approaches to Jupiter and 11 close approaches to Earth. Currently, this is the brightest comet. On November 21, the comet will make the closest approach to the Sun.
Watch How the Comet Loses Its Tail.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone