Comet C/2006 M4 (Swan)

[frogesque]

Now visible in the early morning sky, though faint at mag 6 should be OK with a decent pair of binocs.

Comet C/2006 M4 (Swan): http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?ID=dK06M040;orb=1;cov=0#orb

Pic on Spaceweather http://www.spaceweather.com/swpod2006/01oct06/cook.jpg Looks pretty and developing a good tail

[Gray-Wolf]

Maybe a very good thing that the Earth was where it was on Aug 23rd as the incoming comet seems to nearly intercept our orbit at that time (and our Gravity may have had an effect) :o .

[Hairy Celt]

wow. could spend hours playing with the animating thingy.

[Gray-Wolf]

By the way does the fact that it did nearly intercept our orbit mean we'll pass through the debris next late winter/spring? or does our progression around galactic centre move us away from it?

[stella]

Sometimes Lady Luck does smile on you

Last night the sky was completely cloudy, except for one smallish hole

in the North-west. So I pointed my binoculars towards the hole

to see what stars could be seen. And there, right in the middle of the hole,

was Comet Swan.

[frogesque]

Nice one Stella :blink: Glad you saw it.

Another fantastic pic on Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD)

[shuggee]

Very interesting about its orbit and the likelyhood it will disappear into interstella space and never come here again. I liked that :blink:

[Gray-Wolf]

Very interesting about its orbit and the likelyhood it will disappear into interstella space and never come here again. I liked that :blink:

I didn't! Why? because that meant it snook up on us (from behind the sun) and, had we not been 1/2 and orbit away, it'd have suddenly got very close in March!!!

Any news on whether we'll pass through a debris field between 10th and 17th of Feb next year?(Valentides Meteors????)

[Hairy Celt]

Any news on whether we'll pass through a debris field between 10th and 17th of Feb next year?(Valentides Meteors????)

quite possibly. i've started digging for a bunker.

[Gray-Wolf]

quite possibly. i've started digging for a bunker.

I just want to know whether I could blag a Valentines 'surprise' for my Sig. Other if we are to have a minor meteor shower around then B)

[NL]

A newly discovered comet has brightened enough to be visible this week with binoculars. The picturesque comet is already becoming a favored target for northern sky imagers. Pictured above just last week, Comet SWAN showed a bright blue-green coma and an impressive tail. Comet C/2006 M4 (SWAN) was discovered in June in public images from the Solar Wind Anisotropies (SWAN) instrument of NASA and ESA's Sun-orbiting SOHO spacecraft. Comet SWAN, near magnitude six, will be visible with binoculars in the northeastern sky not far from the Big Dipper over the next few days before dawn. The comet is expected to reach its peak brightness this week. Passing its closest to the Sun two days ago, Comet SWAN and will be at its closest to the Earth toward the end of this month. Comet SWAN's unusual orbit appears to be hyperbolic, meaning that it will likely go off into interstellar space, never to return.

courtesy of http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap061004.html

[Gray-Wolf]

still haven't seen this due to it's "Pre-Dawn" appearence at the mo'( a very busy time of day for folk with 'Diurnal' commitments) but later on in the month it will be an 'after 'T' affair (better for both me and the wee-un's) Still no news on whether we'll pass through it's debris stream this coming Feb though!

B.T.W. Frogesque had a nice thread opened on this, could we merge?

[Gray-Wolf]

Swan is now appearing in the night sky under the handle of the big dipper (the plough) If you take the last star in the handle of the plough as the middle of a clock face then 'Swan' will be at be at 7 o' clock ( you move your bino's up and down that 'line' from star to horizon until you spot a greenish blob). Hope it's clear tonight!!!

[coldfingers]

Maybe a very good thing that the Earth was where it was on Aug 23rd as the incoming comet seems to nearly intercept our orbit at that time (and our Gravity may have had an effect) .

Just noticed this topic and find it very interesting. It's always a good thing the earth is where it is or perhaps a few on here would get more of a winter than they bargained for

[Gray-Wolf]

Just noticed this topic and find it very interesting. It's always a good thing the earth is where it is or perhaps a few on here would get more of a winter than they bargained for

Indeed!!!

The fact that this object passed so very close to earths orbit quite shocked me. I must be being very naive in my understanding as I'm sure that those good folk who are 'in the know' would have given us the horror story that this near miss seems to be to me if we could have been a target!!!

Maybe I'm just chicken little?

The fact that an approaching comet;

1/ needn't be one we know about.

2/ can creep up ,unannounced, from behind a very bright sun only giving itself away when it emerges from the cover that the sun provides and giving us only a few days notice of its arrival in our neck of the woods (as Swan seems to have done.....SOHO solar observer spotted it, not us humans!!)

gives me the hee-bee gee-bee's

Edited October 10, 2006 by Gray-Wolf

[frogesque]

Don't go overboard with the Doom 'n gloom.

East Antrim Astronomical Society

"DISCOVERY

Michael Mattiazzo and Rob Matson found an object in SWAN images from late June 2006, which was found on images taken by Terry Lovejoy on June 30. The comet was confirmed with images taken by Rob McNaught with the Uppsala Schmidt on July 12. It passed through the SOHO LASCO coronagraph field between August 11 and the end of the month, but was barely visible."

It didn't exactly sneak up on us from behind the Sun - it was spotted well before it went behind the sun and re-emerged a bit brighter than expected. It's an Ort Cloud object and won't return to the solar system.

We could get hit with a space rock at any time but the probablity of significant damage to Earth is slight to non existant though locally it could give someone a bad hair day. Tunguska type events are very, very rare Wikipedia

Comets and such have always been associated with fear and life changing events though no Great Comet has collided with Earth during historical times yet there is seriously more risk crossing a road. Keep it all in perspective and just enjoy the show while it lasts.

Edited October 10, 2006 by frogesque

[Gray-Wolf]

Don't go overboard with the Doom 'n gloom.

. Keep it all in perspective and just enjoy the show while it lasts.

But will Feb. 17th bring us a light show (meteor shower) or will we not encounter the dust trial the comet left, close to earth orbit, as it passed?

[frogesque]

But will Feb. 17th bring us a light show (meteor shower) or will we not encounter the dust trial the comet left, close to earth orbit, as it passed?

Don't know is the short answer We'll just have to keep looking

[coldfingers]

Don't go overboard with the Doom 'n gloom.

East Antrim Astronomical Society

"DISCOVERY

Michael Mattiazzo and Rob Matson found an object in SWAN images from late June 2006, which was found on images taken by Terry Lovejoy on June 30. The comet was confirmed with images taken by Rob McNaught with the Uppsala Schmidt on July 12. It passed through the SOHO LASCO coronagraph field between August 11 and the end of the month, but was barely visible."

It didn't exactly sneak up on us from behind the Sun - it was spotted well before it went behind the sun and re-emerged a bit brighter than expected. It's an Ort Cloud object and won't return to the solar system.

We could get hit with a space rock at any time but the probablity of significant damage to Earth is slight to non existant though locally it could give someone a bad hair day. Tunguska type events are very, very rare Wikipedia

Comets and such have always been associated with fear and life changing events though no Great Comet has collided with Earth during historical times yet there is seriously more risk crossing a road. Keep it all in perspective and just enjoy the show while it lasts.

I read somewhere that Jupiter acts as a 'sweeper' for earth, either swallowing up most large objects or diverting them, anyone know any more about this?

[Gray-Wolf]

I read somewhere that Jupiter acts as a 'sweeper' for earth, either swallowing up most large objects or diverting them, anyone know any more about this?

I think that the gravitational effect of Jupiter is sooo big that it 'attracts' many objects on their way into the solar system (schumaker-Levi type)

[coldfingers]

I think that the gravitational effect of Jupiter is sooo big that it 'attracts' many objects on their way into the solar system (schumaker-Levi type)

Now that was a good show!