CATCH IT WHILE YOU CAN - Article
A professor of astronomy said Lulin Comet will take 20 million years to complete its orbit and would only enter the solar system once BY FLORA WANGSTAFF REPORTER
Wednesday, Feb 18, 2009The Lulin Comet (鹿林) co-discovered by Taiwan’s National Central University (NCU) will pass close to Earth next week, giving astronomy enthusiasts the chance to see it, the university said yesterday.
At a press conference, NCU professor of astronomy Chen Wen-ping (陳文屏) said the distance between the Earth and the comet would be at its smallest — about 61 million kilometers — next Tuesday. Stargazers will be able to locate the comet — surrounded by a green halo and traveling at 50km per second — near the constellation of Leo using a conventional telescope, Chen said. He said the approach of the comet provides a great opportunity for people to increase their knowledge of astronomy and to experience the beauty of the night sky.
“Given that comet Lulin’s orbit takes more than 20 million years to complete ... this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see it,” Chen said.“According to the calculations [of astronomers], the comet may travel in a hyperbolic trajectory, a parabolic curve or a narrow oval-shaped orbit that will take 20 million years to complete. This means that this will be the first and last time the comet will enter the solar system,” Chen said. The comet was first spotted by Ye Quanzhi (葉泉志), a student at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China and Lin Chi-sheng (林啟生), an assistant at NCU’s Lulin Observatory in Alishan on July 11, 2007.
Chen said researchers at the observatory had discovered some 700 asteroids, but the Lulin Comet was the only comet the researchers had found so far. “Sometimes astronomy is a bit like archeology,” said former National Central University (NCU) vice president and professor of astronomy and space science Wing-huen Ip (葉永烜).
“Comets like Lulin, which are young and contain a lot of chemicals from the time it was created, provide us with a key to open the mysterious door of how our solar system was formed 4.5 billion years ago,” Wing said. “The more we learn about the structure and functions of comets, the sooner we will be able to react when we find objects that pose a threat to the Earth,” he said.
The NCU has set up a special Web site (c2007n3.astro.ncu.edu.tw) to mark the approach of the comet, Chen said. The Web site includes the latest pictures of the comet and astronomers’ predictions of its path, Chen said. A series of events will also be held around the nation starting on Saturday to help the public gain a better understanding of the comet and to help observers see it, Chen said.
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