Poll of the Week: Comet Watch

By Jim Gerard, NASA INSPIRE Education Specialist, KSC, FL

Comets are a common element of our Solar System.  Comets that travel to the inner Solar System are a little rarer.  Comets large enough to be visible to the naked eye come a couple times a year (at least to those with clear dark skies).  But those comets that are easily visible due to brightness and size are the rare gem indeed.  This weeks poll asked if you have been one of the few to have seen a comet, and it looks like many of you have yet to witness t=one of these celestial visitors from the outer reaches of the Solar System.

Here is what some of you posted on the Discussion Board:

I've seen a few comets, but the one I remember best is C/2009 R1. It was awesome, it looked so beautiful in the sky! :) I was lucky enough to be camping the night I saw it, so it was really clear and bright without light pollution to get in the way.

Tried to find a comet once...didn't really work.  Too much light pollution.

A while back, a comet called Comet Lulin (The green comet) passed earth. I saw it in my telescope, though if I remember correctly it was visible to the naked eye. 

I did take the opportunity to see Hartley 2 a while back.  I woke up about 3 AM and trundled outside onto a hill to get a good view of it.  It was really faint though, only appearing as a small, dim, green haze.  It was interesting regardless, first one I had ever seen outside of pictures.

I saw Hale-Bopp when I lived in NH.

Of course, if we expanded the question a little we could have had a unanimous "Yes"!  Today, with images from amateur and professional alike, astronomers keep tabs and provide daily updates online.  New comets are announced in many websites, including our own www.nasa.gov.  And be sure that we'll pass on that information on the Home Page of the OLC.  Another advantage of today is the ability to actually send probes to comets, the most recent being this past Monday, on Valentine's Day.  The Stardust-NExT spacecraft had an encounter with the comet Temple 1.  Pictures are just now coming in, but it is exciting to see the actual nucleus of a comet.

If you would like to know more about comets, check out the Live Chat archives for last Thursday's chat about the Epoxi spacecraft and it's visit to comet Hartley 2.

This weeks poll question asks a question about rocketry.  Watch for it Tuesday afternoon!