I got a pretty good look at a comet -- was it Hale-Bopp? -- in the mid-90s from the window of a commercial airliner.
Comet alert
We may get a glimpse of a comet just after sunset for the next few days. Comet Pan-STARRS came within about 100 million miles of Earth a few days ago and now is going to come within about 45 million miles of the Sun. That will make it bright, but unfortunately it also means we'll only get a glimpse right after sunset. It's worth a try tonight, though viewing may be better for the next couple of days after. We're nearly at dark of the moon; that will not only help with viewing but possibly give us a dramatic contrast in a couple of days, when the new crescent moon will be just above the horizon near the comet right after sunset.
I got a pretty good look at a comet -- was it Hale-Bopp? -- in the mid-90s from the window of a commercial airliner.
I got a pretty good look at a comet -- was it Hale-Bopp? -- in the mid-90s from the window of a commercial airliner.
I'm reasonably sure you don't actually mean 'within 45 miles of the Sun', because that sort of distance is basically indistinguishable from "colliding with the Sun".
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ReplyDeleteI think it was Hyakutake.
ReplyDeleteThat year, we got a longhair kitten with a big white flash across her back. We named her Comet of course.
I guess it beats "Here, Hyakutake!"
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