Clarkson Integrator

Issue date: 1/14/08 Section: Features

Media Credit: NASA Public Domain The figure shows the planned location of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the successor to the Hubble Telescope, planned to be in operation by 2013. It will be located at one of the five Earth-Sun Lagrange Points, allowing for the use of only a single sun shield to protect the telescope. Image provided courtesy of: NASA/ESA.

There were a couple of exciting astronomical events over the winter break. Comet Holmes remains in the sky and has approximately the same overall brightness as it did when it first appeared, a magnitude of nearly +3.5. It has now spread out, however, covering an area that is significantly larger than that of a full moon. Subsequently, it is dimmer and more difficult to spot.

Luckily for us, another Comet called 8P/Tuttle has returned to our sky. Returning every fourteen years, 8P/Tuttle is well known. It has an apparent magnitude of +6.0, which is barely one-tenth of the apparent brightness of Comet Holmes (remember, a higher apparent magnitude means a dimmer object). It is much more concentrated, however, and therefore easier to spot. It is currently between the constellations Cetus and Eridanus. It will move more towards the south, until it settles below the horizon. This should occur in approximately a week.

In addition, the moon will increasingly dominate the sky during the next week. This will make it significantly more difficult to see diffuse objects, such as the two comets. Mars is the only visible planet during the evening hours, while, Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter rise in the wee hours of the morning. Mars had a near-miss, as far as planetary collisions go. Asteroid 2007 WD5 had a predicted trajectory that placed it very close to Mars. The usually astronomical, odds of a collision began to drop. The chance of a collision was predicted to be 1 in 25. Recent estimations have now all but ruled out a collision. The asteroid will still likely be within 4000 km of the Martian surface.

While fortunate for Mars, astronomers are disappointed, having only been able to witness one planetary collision of significant magnitude. This event, the Shoemaker-Levy 9, occurred in 1994. A collision with Mars would have provided a rare opportunity to increase our understanding of the conditions and make up of the Martian atmosphere. The Asteroid 2007 WD5 collision would also provide more information on the effects of asteroid/planetary collisions.

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