[NAEP] Fwd: Denver Fireball and a Hot Comet

[Dawn Wiseman]

>Space Weather News for Jan. 4, 2007
>http://www.spaceweather.com
>
>DENVER FIREBALL:  A spectacular fireball streaked over Denver, 
>Colorado, this morning.  Observers described it as "brilliant, slow, 
>twinkling, sparkly and full of rainbow colors."  Contrary to some 
>reports, it was not a Quadrantid meteor.  It was the decaying body 
>of a Russian rocket that launched the French COROT space telescope 
>on Dec. 27th. Links to video and a ground track may be found at 
>http://spaceweather.com.
>
>HOT COMET:  Comet McNaught (C/2006 P1) is plunging toward the Sun. 
>It won't hit, but at closest approach on Jan. 13th it will be much 
>closer to the Sun than the planet Mercury. The comet will experience 
>fierce heating and it could brighten considerably, emerging from the 
>encounter brighter than a 1st magnitude star.
>
>For the next few mornings, northerners can see Comet McNaught before 
>it disappears into the Sun's glare.  It's an easy target for 
>binoculars hanging low in the eastern sky at sunrise. After Jan. 
>11th, only SOHO (the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) will be 
>able to track the comet as it angles toward the bright Sun.  SOHO 
>images are posted in near-real time on the Internet, so you can 
>watch the comet-sun encounter and see what happens.
>
>Visit http://Spaceweather.com for observing tips and more information.
>