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Of Meteors, meteorites, comets, and Asteroids

The cosmos is filled with various celestial wonders

By Jim DeLilloPublished about a year ago 4 min read
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Comet CK15V020 (c) Jim DeLillo

The cosmos is filled with various celestial objects that have been fascinating astronomers and sky gazers for centuries. Among these cosmic entities, meteor, meteorite, comet, and asteroid are the terms that often pop up in celestial discussions. Though these terms may sound similar, they have distinct characteristics and interesting differences.

A meteor

is a small fragment of rock or debris traveling through space that enters the Earth's atmosphere, causing a bright streak of light, popularly known as a shooting star. These fragments are usually small, no larger than a grain of sand or a pebble, but their size can vary from a few millimeters to several meters. When a meteor enters our atmosphere, it changes its structure due to air resistance, and its outer surface burns and emits light, leaving a trail behind it. These light shows can be observed with the naked eye from the Earth's surface, and captured in real-time with standard digital cameras. You have to be there at the right time. Fortunately, meteor showers occur at regular and predictable times each year.

On the other hand, meteorites

are a piece of a meteor or asteroid that endures their journey through the Earth's atmosphere and lands on the ground. These objects are of considerable interest to both scientists and collectors, as they contain valuable information about the formation of the Solar System. Meteorites vary in size, from tiny fragments to large objects that weigh hundreds of kilograms or more. While they usually appear similar to common rocks, meteorites have features like fusion crust, regma glyphs, and chondrules, that provide clues as to their extraterrestrial origin.

Comets

are another type of celestial object that orbits the Sun in elongated or oval paths. Comets consist of water, ice, gas, and dust, and when they get closer to the Sun, they heat up, causing the ice to vaporize, and a fuzzy cloud, known as a coma, to form around them. This process leads to the emission of a bright tail, which can sometimes be visible from Earth. The TelescopeLive telescopes are ideal for observing comets as they provide high sensitivity and good clarity. The comets appear as a fuzzy, elongated patch with a bright coma and an extra-long trail extending from the coma.

Asteroids

are small rocky or metallic objects that orbit the sun and are often found in the asteroid belt, located between Mars and Jupiter. Asteroids range in size from a few tens of meters to over 500 kilometers, with some even classified as dwarf-planet-like Ceres. Astronomers use telescopes to identify and track asteroids, especially those that may be on a collision course with Earth. Since asteroids are generally not very bright, telescopes with long exposure times, high image contrast, and short wavelengths are essential to detect and observe these objects.

In a nutshell, meteorites, comets, meteoroids, and asteroids are all exciting celestial objects that inspire awe and wonder. Studying them using powerful tools like the TelescopeLive.com equipment provides invaluable insight into the mysteries of the universe. Whether you are an amateur astronomer or a seasoned professional, exploring the night sky with the TelescopeLive.com telescopes is an unforgettable experience that can provide a deeper appreciation of the wonders of our universe.

Use the Advanced Requests

https://app.telescope.live/request/add

to image a comet, asteroid, or other solar system body.

The Ephemeris must be used to get the corrected formatted coordinates.

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The comet in the accompanying photo by Jim DeLillo is:

C/2015 V2 (Johnson) is a hyperbolic comet discovered on 3 November 2015 by Jess Johnson (Catalina Sky Survey) at an apparent magnitude of 17.1 using a 0.68-meter (27 in) Schmidt–Cassegrain telescope.[1][2][3][6][4] Its incoming orbit had a Semimajor Axis of 59,200 AU (0.94 light years), but will have a hyperbolic orbit after leaving the solar system, with an eccentricity of 1.0009. The comet was expected to be able to be seen with binoculars in late May 2017 in the Northern Hemisphere,[7] with a magnitude of 6 to 7, but the comet was fainter than predicted,[8] reaching a magnitude of 7.1 on June 21.[9]

The comet was characterised by its very low activity, resembling a manx comet. The comet showed no emission from C2, C3 and CN, which are part of the typical spectrum of comet, when it was 2,83 AU from the Sun, but they were detected when the comet reached 2,3 AU from the Sun.[10] The comet was observed by the SWAN instrument onboard SOHO and determined its water production near perihelion was 1029/s. Infrared spectroscopic observations indicated that the rotational temperature of the comet was warmer than predicted, indicating the presence of an icy grainy halo.[11] The absolute nuclear magnitude was estimated to be 16.127 ± 0.176, indicating that the effective radius of the comet was 1,7 ± 0,138 km.[12] The comet exhibited fan-shaped fine jets in the direction opposite of the Sun when imaged using polarimetry.[13] ~Wikipedia

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About the Creator

Jim DeLillo

Jim DeLillo writes about tech, science, and travel. He is also an adventure photographer specializing in transporting imagery and descriptive narrative.

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