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Comet Catalina to pass by Earth for the final time (Synopsis) [Starts With A Bang]
“I have worn myself thin trying to find out about this comet, and I know very little now in the matter.” -Maria Mitchell
Originating from the Kuiper belt and the Oort cloud, comets are generally thought of as periodic objects, with their initial trajectories having been perturbed by either Neptune, another distant object or a passing star or rogue planet.
Image credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM.
But most comets aren’t periodic; they’re transient instead, where a trip into the inner Solar System gives them additional gravitational perturbations, causing them to either fly into the Sun or gain enough kinetic energy to escape entirely. This latter fate is the case for Comet Catalina, which reaches perihelion on November 15th and then heads out of the Solar System after putting on one final show for observers on Earth.
Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech, NEOWISE.
Learn how to see it, where to find it and why it’s on its way out!
Source: http://scienceblogs.com/startswithabang/2015/11/11/comet-catalina-to-pass-by-earth-for-the-final-time-synopsis/
