Comet Lovejoy, officially known as C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy, drew as close as 120 million miles to the sun or 1.3 times the Earth-sun distance on Friday, January 29. This will result in a spectacular display for skygazers close to the dates February 6 or 7.
The dazzling Comet Lovejoy.
The comet is named after Australian astronomer, Terry Lovejoy, who first spotted this celestial object in August 2014. The head of the comet has an emerald green hue with a blueish tail trailing it, 7 km in length . The green colour is due to an abundance of diatomic carbon C2 and cyanogen (CN)2; these molecules when ionized causes the bright green glow or radiation. The tail, on the other hand, has an abundance of ionized carbon monoxide (CO+) molecules.
The comet can be observed through a telescope or binoculars in the Northern sky in the constellation Triangulum, near Andromeda. The moonlight might make visibility difficult right now but once the sky is clear on the night of February 5, the comet may even be seen with the naked eye. You can watch Slooh Community Observatory Comet Lovejoy Webcast if you miss the chance to see it yourself. Otherwise, mark your calenders and don't forget to look up at the night sky. You could wish upon this shooting star ;)
I am close to three weeks late to write this post, but I wish one of my all time favourite scientists Happy Birthday! Born on January 8, 1942 Sir Hawking is a charming man of phenomenal genius (with an IQ of 160) humour, and a zealous outlook on life despite the challenges he faced early on in his career.
His release of the book A Brief History of Time made science popular among youth and adults alike, selling over 10 million copies worldwide, staying in the bestseller list for four consecutive years earning him a Guinness World Record. Other than a famous physicist and cosmologist discussing the big bang, space-time warps or black holes; Stephen Hawking is an entertainer, appearing on TV shows such as Star Trek, The Big Bang Theory and even The Simpsons.
Parodied version of Stephen Hawking on the show The Simpsons.
His worldwide fame led to straining his personal relationship with his wife. In the recent years, however, he has not hesitated to share his love for Jane Wilde. Do take the time to watch their eternal love story and life journey in The Theory of Everything. Here is the trailer:
Another good video to watch about Mr. Hawking's personal story, his education and achievements as well as his struggles with motor neurone disease, ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) can be seen in this short PBS documentary: Stephen Hawking A Personal Journey PBS.
I lead by his example to never give up no matter what life throws your way, and to always have the hunger to learn about our universe. I hope his prosperous, lifelong career and collaborations with fellow scientists and Hollywood are forever revered. One last picture I would like to share...
On his 65th birthday, he went for a ride in zero gravity! :D
May his legacy be passed on to future generations.
I am an Advertising and Marketing Communications student at Sheridan College here in Ontario, Canada and I was asked to create a blog for an assignment for my Interactive Marketing class. I thought I could make this fun for all! I consider myself to be a pseudo-scientist (teehee) so I felt obligated to share with friends posts about ALL THINGS SCIENCE. Whether it is cool facts and stories with the latest in scientific discoveries, my favourite scientists or technology, you will leave away feeling proud to call yourself a geek!
In the coming weeks, I will share with you 6 bizarre medical conditions that are scary, intriguing and awesome. And much, much more!
