Backyard Astronomy
Posted on June 24, 2009 - Filed Under Entertainment, History, Home & Garden
I want to get involved in backyard astronomy. I want to look through some large telescope and see the greatest show from earth. What started me on this quest was one night, almost a decade ago, I was entertaining a few friends out in my backyard and was just about to rinse off some BBQ utensils that were soaking in my outdoor sink when one of my friends pointed up into the evening sky and spotted the comet called Hale-Bopp with his naked eye. I was completely taken aback when I too looked up and could see this marvellous site. I had no idea about this comet.
My friend proceed to tell me that this comet, Hale-Bopp was name after the two individual men who discovered it at the same time but from different locations. Hale and Bopp were known as backyard astronomers, which needless to say, the real astronomer were somewhat dismayed. He also noted that on the very next day Hale and Bopp discovered the comet a 9 year old boy in China reported discovering the comet, but before the news was released about Hale and Bopp’s discovery.
Unfortunately, it’s the original discoverers which get their names listed in the history books; discovering it one day afterwards doesn’t count. However, this didn’t stop the young boy from China to continue with his love of discovery. Today, his is 21 years old and has a graduate degree from China’s Sun Yat-sen University in Astrophysics. During his studies he was observing images from a star field taken at Lulin Observatory when he noticed one of the stars had a greenish cometary object and this time he was the first to discover what is now know as the Comet Lulin, named after the observatory where the photo-image had been taken. Comet Lulin has now rounded our sun and has been predicted to reach the closest point to Earth on February 24.
After hearing my friend give details about how comets are discovered, not only by astronomers at an observatory, but by simple backyard astronomer and that a new Comet is paying a visit to Earth, it’s time to get my some high powered binoculars or really go all out and buy a telescope. Should make for some good backyards stories for sure.
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