SPACE — Comets are one of the celestial objects whose presence is difficult to predict. Each year, there are usually several comets that can be seen with the help of a small telescope.
Websites like International Comet Quarterly and the British Astronomical Association’s Comet Section lists currently active comets that can be seen with amateur telescopes. The site also lists where the comet can be found.
Although we know when a comet is likely to appear and the path it will take, no one can predict how it will behave once it approaches the inner Solar System.
A comet could pass the Sun so close that experts believe it would be a spectacular sight. However, once every decade or so, a comet passes close enough to Earth and is bright enough to be seen with the naked eye.
When one of these is truly special, it may be given the title ‘Great Comet’. This comet had an appearance so majestic that it was remembered for centuries (or even millennia) to come.
Here are the 5 most famous comets in history that will be remembered by comet seekers.
Comet Hale-Bopp
Closest distance: 136 million km.
Period: 2,520 to 2,533 years.
Fact: Visible to the naked eye for a record 18 months in 1996 and 1997. Hale-Bopp captured the attention of the public worldwide.
Komet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Closest distance: 186 million km.
Period: 6.4 years.
Fact: This comet was the target of the Rosetta mission, which studied the comet from orbit and sent the Philae lander to its surface.
Great Daylight Comet
Closest distance: 19 million km.
Period: 57,300 years.
Fact: Seen in January 1910. This comet quickly became brighter until it surpassed the brightness of Venus.
Comet Halley
Closest distance: 88 million km.
Period: 75.3 years.
Fact: This comet was observed as early as 240 BC. Often visible to the naked eye.
2024-01-07 03:15:00
#Famous #Comets #History
