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Comet Lulin (C/2007 N3) was one of 223 comet discoveries made in 2007 - an all-time record. Discovered by a 19
year old student in China. Should be brightest in late February (magnitude 5 - visible in dark sky locations).
Passes within .41 a.u. on February 24th. Look for it in the early morning with binoculars. See this link
for more details http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/highlights/35992534.html
| Comet Lulin LpRGB 2-8-09 11:55 UT, f5 |
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| C/2007 N3, only pass for over 1000 years, travels backward near ecliptic, blue-green color |
Enjoy Comet Holmes (17P) - the comet that rises from obscurity once again. Two times now, it has increased in brightness
exponentially. Apparently, it kind of exploded and blew off its outer layers of dust and material. That's
why it looks a lot different from other comets that don't undergo such a vigorous change. Holmes' orbit is much less
eccentric than a lot of the famous comets but it did creep in towards the sun in a recent orbit that may have led to the additional
heating and subsequent flare in brightness.
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