Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with comet

Showers at Heaven's Gate?

at the crossroads — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:38:18 -0800

[Astronomyfilter] A new meteor shower? Last night I had the pleasure of watching the Perseid meteor shower from the warm & floaty comfort of a back porch hot tub.

As I lay soaking, a dozen or more shooting stars were falling in close at hand. Some were so big, they left a trail of smoke in their wake. It was something truly mesmerizing.

I know the Perseid shower comes in August from debris left behind
by Swift-Tuttle; and the Leonid shower in November from Tempel-Tuttle.

So my question is this:
Since Hale-Bopp was only fairly recently (1995) discovered, when can we expect to see a Heaven's Gate Meteor Shower?

Granted, it most probably wouldn't be named the Heaven's Gate shower--- but from which constellation would the debris left over from Hale-Bopp appear to be emerging?

(and) Do we still name showers like that, according to their corresponding constellation?

(plus) how often would Earth's orbit collide with Hale-Bopp debris?
Is it possible that Earth's orbit wouldn't intersect Hale-Bopp's stardust trails every year like the Leonids and Perseids?

(Also) Is there a software program that would help me visualize spatially the routes and timelines of these comets and their trajectories?

Thanks (a zillion) in advance.

Help a newb astronomer see Comet Lulin from Maryland!

RobotNinja — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 06:49:19 -0800

I am going crazy trying to get a sighting of Comet Lulin, and I don't want to blow the best chance tonight! I live east of Rockville, MD, and there is a fair amount of light pollution in the area. I just got a 6" Dobsonian Telescope (Orion XT6), but know very little about finding my way around the sky. I'm sure I'm looking in the right place, as I've consulted sky charts from spaceweather.com. In early February, I tried waking up around 4am a few times to get a view of the comet in the south-east of Virgo, with no success. Last night I tried at 1am, the current recommended time. I found Saturn and looked a few degrees down and east. Through my binoculars I can see a very, very faint patch of gas, so dim I would pass right over it if I didn't know I was looking for a comet. Through my telescope I see nothing, though. I had a hard time finding focus because I don't know whether that faint patch was really the comet.

Is the core obvious? Will it really look green? I'm not seeing anything like the pictures that are posted on spaceweather. Can anyone give me an idea of what the comet will look like to my eyes through the telescope? Has anyone successfully seen it from a location like mine? Any other generic viewing/finding/focusing tips? I have a Orion XT6 Dobsonian with 25mm and 10mm eyepieces. Can you help a newbie astronomer?

Will my hand really turn skeletal?

sunshinesky — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 17:19:44 -0800

HouseholdChemicalsFilter: Due to a latex allergy, general hatred of inner-glove dampness, I prefer to clean the house without using gloves. Am I putting myself in any grave danger? Ok, so I haven't died yet from bacteria, or had the skin melt of my hands from corrosive cleaners, but I'd really like to know what I'm doing to my hands.

I use chemicals like Comet, lysol disinfectant, pinesol and more rarely a general purpose degreaser (nothing heavy duty).

Specifically I'd like to know if I'm splashing bacteria water all over my hands in a bucket of hot water/disinfectant or if I'm absorbing/melting my skin with the cleaners. I always wash my hands with antibacterial hand soap between chemical and anything else. Is that necessary?

(and yes, I know I can get non-latex gloves)

What was that in the sky?

InkaLomax — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 14:34:50 -0800

What was that in the Boston sky? What did I just see shooting across the sky in Boston (about 5pm 12/14)? It looked like a comet, large white ball with a tail, I watched it for about 5 seconds before it disappeared. I can't be sure but I would say it was going NorthWest. I have never seen anything like it in my life.