Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Comets and YouTube

Comet PanSTARRS is visible in the evening sky, if you look toward the west just after sunset. Here is a sky map from SpaceWeather.com showing Comet PanSTARRS tonite, between the Moon and Mars.  This comet will only get as close as 0.3 AU from the Sun, which is inside of Mercury's orbit but it isn't a sun-grazer.
So go out and look for a comet near the Sun. It will be good practice for finding Comet ISON when it goes around the Sun in November, maybe close enough to be seen by SDO.
SDO is featured in a YouTube video on Coronal Rain by SciShow. Check it Out!