2002 SPACE SCIENCE VIDEOTAPES |
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Tape Title | Record ID | Date Produced | TRT: |
Synopsis |
| DISCOVERING COMETS ON THE NET | G02-029 | 4/18/02 | 00:02:33 | Amateur Astronomer XingMing Zhou of China discovered a comet on Friday by watching real-time images of the Sun on the Internet. Using the web site for the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft, Zhou reported the finding to scientists who refer to the comet as "C/2002 G3". The new comet entered the solar region on Thursday and will be visible on the Internet through Saturday, April 20 which is, ironically, Astronomy Day.
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TAPE CONTENTS: |
| ITEM (1): Discovering a Comet - Mr. Zhou's unique observation of the sun-grazing comet from the comfort of his computer in China is due in large part to his patience: since 1985 he's spent about 1,600 hours scanning the sky for a single comet with his telescope. Since 2000 he's been scanning the sky with the SOHO web site, discovering a total of 13 comets. This video shows the comet appear under the Sun on Thursday and move upward to the left by Wednesday, April 17. It will move away from the Sun to the right of the frame on Saturday.
Courtesy: NASA / ESA
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| ITEM (2): SOHO The Comet Hunter - The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft has discovered over 420 comets in six years, making it the most prolific comet-finder in the history of astronomy. Sun-grazing comets like this one become bright near the Sun's glare and can only be seen by space-based instruments that block out the light. Here the LASCO instrument on the SOHO spacecraft uses an artificial eclipse that allows scientists to study the Sun's corona, or outer atmosphere.
Courtesy: NASA / ESA
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| ITEM (3): Discover Your Own Comets:
SOHO Web Site:
http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/
How to spot sun-grazing comets:
http://sungrazer.nascom.nasa.gov/
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