The latest comet appeared: May 23rd, 2020. On March 2, 20201day, comet Atlas appeared with 8.5-level blonde hair and short pointed tail. June, 5438+February last year, it was discovered that Comet Atlas has become brighter rapidly in recent weeks, and the north is upward. In February 20 18, there were no visible comets in the night sky before comet Vitinin passed the Pleiades cluster at close range. But this situation may change soon. Because on February 28, 20 19, astronomers discovered a 20-magnitude comet in Ursa Major by using the automatic device of the last warning system of asteroid impact on the earth, which was later named Comet Atlas. Comet Atlas orbits at a 45-degree angle to the surface of other planets. On May 23rd, the comet reached perigee (about 0.97 billion kilometers away from the Earth), and then reached perihelion on May 3rd1day. After the orbit of Comet Atlas was determined, it was proved to be similar to that of Great Comet/KOOC-0/844 (C//KOOC-0/844Y/KOOC-0/). The period of two comets is about 4000 years. In recent days, they are 0.25 astronomical units (A.U.) away from the sun, equivalent to 37.4 million kilometers, and make an angle of 45 with the ecliptic. The similarity of these orbits, as well as other similarities in this respect, is enough to show that these two celestial bodies are fragments of a larger comet, which disintegrated about 5000 years ago. What we know is that there may be other debris in this orbit in the future. On March 22, comet ATLAS passed through ρ star Ursa major, and its tail was 15 degrees due to the light green emission of carbon and cyanide. Recently, the coma of the comet has also expanded to 15 degrees, and the current length is half the diameter of the sun. The south is high. Since the brightness of the great comet 1845 1 month reached 2, a tail of 10 degree appeared, and many of us wondered whether its sister comet could reach the same scale. In its performance, the answer is yes. But one thing is certain-comet-Atlas is rapidly brightening.
Comet Atlas has how bright? Within a month, the magnitude of a special comet increased by 100 times, which excited many comet lovers. But it also means that when a comet approaches the sun, the ice around it will evaporate quickly. Once these substances are evaporated, the magnitude curve of comet Atlas will be flattened, which is extremely rare for other comets close to the sun. As far as we know, long-period comets that reach 1 magnitude will split, decompose and eventually disappear. Comet C/20 12S 1 is a classic example. Simply put, when it passes the perihelion at 20 13, 1 1, it breaks down into clouds of dust and ice crystals. At this moment, for many fans, the expected scene has not happened, and there will be a little loss more or less. Through the image from the astronomical telescope of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, we can intuitively see that the magnitude of this comet has reached -5, and its perihelion on May 3 1 day is brighter than Venus. It will be located in the southwest of the sun 13 degrees, and the comet can be seen through a properly shielded telescope during the day. Of course, these predictions may be too optimistic. In the notice of the Central Astronomical and Telegraph Bureau on March 19, director DanielGreen applied a comet formula based on the recent long period and orbiting the sun, and made a more conservative peak value of -0.3 magnitude.
On the other hand, this is also good news. In these two predictions, comet Atlas will reach the brightness visible to the naked eye in mid-May, and then disappear into the brilliance of the sun. The horizon formula of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory predicts that its peak will be 1 to 2, but Greenwich predicts that its brightness will be 2 to 3. On the evening of May, comets will appear in the sky and pass through Perseus. Binoculars will show a bright, highly concentrated coma with many solid dust particles and gas tails. If we are lucky, we can even see the tail of a comet without any optical assistance. After orbiting the sun, Comet Atlas will return to Orion at dawn on June 15 for observation by astronomy enthusiasts in the southern hemisphere. The initial magnitude of this comet is 3 or 4, but if it can survive in the extremely hot perihelion, it will soon disappear.
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