Pressmeddelande
Julkometen Lovejoy pryder himlen över Paranalobservatoriet
24 december 2011
Den nyligen upptäckta kometen Lovejoy framträder i nya häpnadsväckande fotografier och en timelapse-film tagna vid ESO:s Paranalobservatorium i Chile. Den södra stjärnhimlen hedrades av ett besök av kometen efter att den oväntat överlevde ett nära möte med solen.
ESO:s Gabriel Brammer tog sin timelapse-videosekvens så sent som den 22 december 2011. När Gabriel avslutade sitt pass som jourhavande astronom vid Paranalobservatoriet gick kometen Lovejoy upp över horisonten strax innan soluppgången.
Gabriel Brammer berättar själv.
- På morgonen efter mitt sista arbetspass försökte jag fånga den med kameran före soluppgången. Kometens svans var lätt synlig för blotta ögat. Synen av månens skära, Vintergatan och observatoriets laserledstjärna alla tillsammans var nästan lika imponerande för blotta ögat som det ser ut i de långexponerade foton, säger han.
I sekvensen syns även VLT:s laserledstjärna mot den vackra fonden av Vintergatan. Denna laserstråle, tunn som en penna, användes av astronomer som just då höll på att genomföra nattens sista observationer.
Även Guillaume Blanchard, optiker hos ESO, tog en härlig vidvinkelbild av Kometen Lovejoy, och ESO:s fotoambassadör Yuri Beletsky fångade spektaklet från Santiago de Chile.
- För mig är kometen en julklapp till alla som stannar på Paranalobservatoriet över jul, sa Blanchard.
Den ljusstarka kometen sågs även från den Internationella rymdstationen ISS, där besättningen tog en annan otrolig timelapse-film medan de filmade blixtar på jordens nattsida.
Bland astronomientusiaster har kometen varit ett samtalsämne under de senaste par veckor. Den upptäcktes den 27 november av den australiske amatörastronomen Terry Lovejoy och strax därefter klassificerades som en Kreutz-solstrykare med en bana som tar den mycket nära solen[1]. Så sent som förra veckan for kometen in i solens korona och passerade till mångas spända förväntan bara 140 000 kilometer ovav solens yta. Det var sannerligen nära ögat.
Kometen väntades bryta isär och förångas, men istället överlevde den det kokhetta mötet med solen. Några dagar därefter blev den till allas förvåning åter synlig. Nu syns den från södra halvklotet i gryningen och visar upp en ljusstark, miljoner kilometer lång svans som består av stoftpartiklar som håller på att blåsas bort av solvinden.
Lovejoy kommer nu att fortsätta i sin mycket avlånga bana runt solen och kommer att åter försvinna mot solsystemets avlägsna trakter. Det skulle vara intressant att få veta om den överlever den för att ännu en gång visa upp sig på vår himmel, som det förutspås, om 314 år.
Med denna spektakulära filmsekvens av Lovejoy, 2011 års julkomet, önskar ESO alla god jul och gott nytt år.
Bild:
G. Brammer/ESO
Noter
[1] Kreutz-solstrykare kallas medlemmarna i en kometfamilj som tros alla härstamma från en enda stor komet som bröt isär under 1100-talet. Nu har kometerna alla liknande banor runt solen.
Mer information
Länkar
- Gabriel Brammers hemsida
- Guillaume Blanchards hemsida
- ESO:s fotoambassadörer
Kontakter
Gabriel Brammer
ESO
Vitacura, Chile
Mobil: +56 9 94 89 00 75
E-post: gbrammer@eso.org
Lars Lindberg Christensen
Head, ESO education and Public Outreach Department
Garching bei München, Germany
Mobil: +49 173 3872 621
E-post: lars@eso.org
Johan Warell (Presskontakt för Sverige)
ESO:s nätverk för vetenskaplig kommunikation
Skurup, Sverige
Tel: +46-706-494731
E-post: eson-sweden@eso.org
Om pressmeddelandet
| Pressmeddelande nr: | eso1153sv |
| Namn: | C/2011 W3 (Lovejoy), Paranal, Photo Ambassador, Santiago |
| Typ: | Solar System : Interplanetary Body : Comet |
| Facility: | Very Large Telescope |
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