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Scientists urge public not to miss Lulin Comet sighting

Posted by:  | Date: February 24, 2009

Two noted scientists urged the public yesterday to join star gazers around the world in observing comet Lulin - the first comet jointly discovered by astronomers on both sides of the Taiwan Strait in 2007 - when it moves closest to the Earth on Feb. 24.


Speaking at a news conference, former National Central University (NCU) Vice President and Professor of Astronomy and Space Science Wing-huen Ip and Graduate Institute of Astronomy professor Chen Wen-ping said the approach of the comet provides a great opportunity for people to not only increase their knowledge of astronomy but also to experience the beauty of the night sky.

''Once-in-a-lifetime'

 

"It takes a kind of special destiny to be able to see a comet," said Chen.

"Given that comet Lulin's orbit takes over 20 million years to complete... this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see it, " Chen noted.

 

"This is the first and last time comet Lulin will enter the solar system," he added.

Ip said the comet allows scientists to learn about the past and explore the future.

"Astronomy sometimes is a bit like archeology, " said Ip.

 

"Comets like Lulin, which are young and contains a lot of chemicals from the time it was created, provide us with a key to open the mysterious door of how our solar system was formed 4.5 billion years ago."

 

"The more we learn about the structure and functions of comets, the sooner we will be able to react when we find objects that pose a threat to the Earth," he added.

 

The discovery of Lulin (C/2227 N3) was part of the major achievements made in the Lulin Sky Survey project that was planned to explore the various populations of small bodies in the solar system, especially on studying objects that might present a hazard to the Earth.

It was initially described as an asteroidal object when found by Ye Quanzhi at the Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China.

 

Three images were obtained by Lin Chi-sheng of NCU's Graduate Institute of Astronomy July 11, 2007, using the 41-cm camera at the university's Lulin Observatory in Nantou, central Taiwan.

Year of Astronomy. Noting that 2009 has been designated as International Year of Astronomy, Chen said the discovery of Lulin two years ago coincidentally makes it one of the biggest astronomy events of 2009.

 

The comet is moving between the constellations Scorpio and Libra and is expected to move toward Leo at an accelerating pace in late February, reaching its closest distance to the Earth on Feb. 24 - about 61 million kilometers.

 

It will be visible to the naked eye, according to Chen.

A series of events, including observation activities and seminars , have been organized by NCU to provide more information about the comet.


Source:Central News Agency

 

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