Comet Hartley 2 Set To Pass Close By Earth
October 20th, 2010 - 9:07 pm ICT by Pen Men At Work
October 20, 2010 (Pen Men at Work): Astronomers suggest that a comet discovered in 1986 will soon fly by earth giving the sky watchers a rare glimpse at the cosmic body. this is perhaps one of those once in a lifetime opportunities for Earth dwellers. The Comet 103P/Hartley 2 was discovered by the Australian Astronomer Malcolm Hartley who calculated that the cosmic body orbited the Sun every 6.5 years.
The astronomer’s believe that Jupiter’s gravitational interaction with Hartley is drawing the comet from its orbit and taking it closer to the Sun. therefore with each passing revolution of its orbit, Hartley is moving away from Earth. This year the comet is likely to make its closest pass in the last couple of years. At one point of time the comet is slated to be a mere 11 million miles (17.7 million kilometers) away from earth. Comet Hartley 2 is all set to come very close to earth on October 20, 2010 and the astronomers will get a good glimpse at this cosmic body.
The Astronomers suggest that the observers in the Northern Hemisphere will be able to spot the comet with binoculars and telescopes on a dark and moonless night at the North-east corner of the sky. The comet will be visible to the observers during the darkest nights or right before the break of dawn.
There is hope for the southern hemisphere observers as well; starting from late November they will be able to feast their eyes on the Comet Hartley 2. The astronomers also informed that as the comet will get closer to the sun it will become visible to the naked eye in relatively pollution free areas. NASA is planning to probe the comet to understand more about its composition.
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Tags: break of dawn, closer to the sun, comet, corner of the sky, cosmic body, earth dwellers, free areas, gravitational interaction, late november, lifetime opportunities, malcolm hartley, men at work, moonless night, naked eye, nasa, northern hemisphere, pen men, rare glimpse, sky watchers, southern hemisphere observers