In the astronomical world, the green-glowing planets in outer space have always looked so beautiful and mysterious, and they have always been deeply loved by people, and are the focus of scientists and science enthusiasts to track and observe. Last night, an amateur astronomer used a telescope to once again spot a green planet approaching Earth in the direction of the constellation Virgo.
According to foreign astronomical websites, Michael Jäger from Jauerling, Austria, is an experienced amateur astronomer. At night, whenever he had time, he would set up his telescope and point it at the sky, focusing all his remaining energy on outer space, tracking and observing those galaxies, extraterrestrial asteroids and comets and their celestial bodies.
On February 8, Michael Jäger suddenly caught an emerald green glow in the direction of the constellation Virgo, dragging a long tail, which was rapidly approaching Earth. Although Michael Jäger was a little surprised, this kind of shining green planet was not the first time he had encountered it, and it was no stranger to him, and his rich experience told him that it was a comet.
After reviewing the relevant information, Michael Jäger determined that the shining green planet was a new comet that had just been discovered by Japanese scientists late last year, called Comet Iwamoto, also known as C/2018 Y1. Comet Iwamoto was first discovered by Japanese amateur astronomer Masayuki Iwamoto in December 2018.
It is understood that Comet Iwamoto comes from outside the Kuiper Belt, and it orbits the Sun in a very large elliptical orbit with an orbit of 1371 years, and the furthest point from the Sun is 5 times the distance between Pluto and the Sun. This means that it is possible that it is a relative of other strange planet ETNO, such as Sedna, 2012 VP113, 2015 TG387 and many more.
Data from NASA simulations show that Comet Iwamoto will reach a maximum speed of 67 kilometers per second after being ejected by the sun's gravitational ejection, which is an indescribable speed, more than twice the orbital speed of the Earth, and is likely to be the fastest celestial body in the solar system. Comet Iwamoto is currently approaching Earth, with a brightness of +6.5, and will be 45 million kilometers closest to Earth on February 13.
This is a rare opportunity for scientists and science enthusiasts, as the next arrival is in 3390 AD. Of course, this comet is not visible to our naked eyes, and if you want to see it, you need a professional astronomical telescope. Interesting exploration content, please pay attention to the only WeChat public account: Interesting Exploration
Author: Tianya