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Comet McNaught

Brightest comet in nearly 50 years

Astronomers, star-gazers and sunset joggers were equally suprised mid-January by a large orange comet - the brightest in nearly 50 years - passing a mere 100 million kilometers from Earth.

Although Comet McNaught, discovered 2006, was an expected visitor to our skies, nobody expected it to be so bright. It appeared as a bright orange smudge in the western twilight, just below Venus.

Great comets are rare. Comets are occasional visitors to the inner parts of the Solar System. Since 1960, 10 comets have been visible with the naked eye. Few of these qualified as Great comets, sufficiently bright to draw worldwide attention. Comet McNaught was the brightest such comet since 1965.

What is a comet?

Comets have been likened to dirty snowballs. They consist largely of frozen, fluffy water (hence snow), with dust particles embedded in them. They reside in the outer solar system, beyond the orbit of Pluto (recently downgraded to 'dwarf planet'). Small disturbances to their orbits, induced by planets, occasionally cause one to fall in towards the Sun. This is what is likely to have happened to comet McNaught.

Sadly, those who missed McNaught are unlikely to see it again. The orbit that it's on may likely mean it will leave our solar system altogether.

 

Visit Comet McNaught on the web at www.saao.ac.za