comet lulin

comet lulin (C/2227 N3) says a big hello to the sun today as it clears its closest approach to the fiery center of our solar system - its perihelion. this comet is shooting around the sun and starting its journey towards the outskirts of the solar system, passing by the earth on its way at a closest-distance of only 14.5 times farther than the moon on february 24th, 2009. you can currently view comet lulin thru a modest telescope, and jeremy perez shares a quality sketch of his telescopic view:


i love that he made a sketch! its just so romantic and endearing and reminds me of some of the first washes and engravings of the moon created 400 years ago by galileo galilei (his name demands that you say it out loud)...





lulin will reach a peak magnitude of 5-6 in late feb 2009, allowing for naked-eye viewing in clear, dark areas. caffeinatedastronomy.com has a comprehensive collection of links about comet lulin that you can pay attention to, and hopefully i can find some good images to post as comet lulin approaches!