THE Earth had company this week, when comet Lulin passed within 61 million kilometres of us, almost as close as Mars. It reached peak brightness on 24 February, when it could be seen passing close to Saturn, but should remain visible in the sky until mid-March.
The close pass gives astronomers their first chance to analyse the comet’s constituents, says Jenny Carter from the University of Leicester, UK. Images of Lulin taken by (see image, right) should help determine the comet’s exact chemical composition. The blue colour shows the presence of hydroxyl ions – formed when water breaks down – and the red is where the solar wind is interacting with material from the comet.
Gary Kronk, an amateur astronomer from St Jacob, Illinois, recommends using a small pair of binoculars to look at the comet, which has an unusual double tail.
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