Comet, Meteor Shower Visible This Week
Stargazers have something else to watch for this week, courtesy of the Hartley 2 comet.
Experts at the University of Texas-operated McDonald Observatory on Wednesday said the comet should be visible to the unaided eye for several days under dark skies in the hours before dawn.
Early risers can look at the comet in anticipation of its Nov. 4 encounter with NASA’s Deep Impact spacecraft.
To see the comet, look northwest before dawn, about 75 degrees above the horizon, almost directly overhead. UT experts say that Hartley 2 will be near the bright star Capella, as the comet comes within 11 million miles of Earth.
The McDonald Observatory is in the Davis Mountains of West Texas.
In addition to Hartley 2, the Orionid meteor shower will be visible this week as Earth is entering a broad stream of debris from Halley’s Comet.
“The best time to look is during the hours before dawn on Thursday, Oct. 21st, and again on Friday, Oct 22nd,” advises Bill Cooke of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office. “Unfortunately, we have a bright Moon this year. Even so, I’d expect some bright Orionids to shine through the moonlight.” An all-sky camera at the University of Western
According to SpaceWeather.com, Orionid meteors stream from the elbow of Orion the Hunter: sky map. Because the shower’s radiant point is close to the celestial equator, sky watchers in both hemispheres can enjoy the show. Moonlit meteor rates will probably be around a dozen per hour.
Related Links:Link:http://stardate.orgLink:http://mcdonaldobservatory.org/Link:http://www.spaceweather.com
