Published 16:38 IST, May 6th 2020
Comet SWAN and comet Atlas to fly close to the surface of Earth in May 2020
Comet SWAN and comet Atlas will be flying closest to the surface of Earth on May 13 and May 23, 2020, respectively. Read below for details.
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Space can evidently be mysterious and scary for being an extended void but at times it also brings about beautiful and mesmerizing events that fill up sky with beautiful astronomical events. Be it eclipses, spotting or planets or meteor showers, people interested in exploring space can find ir heart's way while not leaving planet actually, but experiencing se phenomena in sky. In month of May itself, Eta Aquariid meteor shower h lit up sky with beautiful hues and sparkles. Now, it is expected that both Comet Swan and Comet Atlas will be making a close flyby from Earth.
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Comet Atlas and Swan to fly by Earth soon
Comet Swan
Comet Swan was actually spotted first by an amateur astronomer named Michael Mattiazzo who was looking at data from NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory i.e SOHO. comet first me an appearance in images clocked by SOHO's Solar Wind Anisotropies Instrument on April 11, 2020, and was thus named comet SWAN.
instrument which captured comet Swan for first time was actually on a lookout for hydrogen in solar system but caught image of comet as it was exuding a large amount of hydrogen in form of water ice. comet Swan is expected to fly really close to Earth on May 13, 2020.
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Comet Atlas
Comet Atlas was discovered back in 2019 and it was deemed to be one of brightest comets to be ever witnessed. But unfortunately, its brightness has now been dimmed down as comet Atlas disintegrated in April 2020. It is not uncommon for comets to be of unpredictable nature as y often burst or disintegrate. comet Atlas was supposed to fly really close to earth in all its might and brightness on May 23, 2020. But though comet will be visible to naked eye, it will not shine bright.
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16:38 IST, May 6th 2020