Comet Thatcher
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Comet Thatcher also known as C/1861 G1 was discovered on April 4, 1861 by A. E. Thatcher. A couple of interesting bits, April 5, 1861 was but a week before the Civil War; the other was Thatcher was a professor, nothing unusual there, but he discovered the comet from New York City. I’ll go out on a limb and say it may well never be done again in the future given the light pollution. Sir John Herschel wrote a letter to Thatcher and it wound up published some years later in the New York Times, click here to read it (pdf format).
Comet Thatcher is a traveler, in fact the next time it will be seen by Earthlings is in the year 2276 and that is the very next pass by after its discovery, yes it orbits by us once every 415 years. We know now the history of Comet Thatcher dates to at least 687 B. C. by the trail of comet dust it leaves behind. We know about the dust because of the meteor shower it produces – the Lyrids.
Yes it is time for the Lyrids and the best time to see them this year is tomorrow April 23nd (2009). Sadly I think it will be cloudy here but do take a look a the night sky and look for the meteors from a comet that went by a long time ago.
Also, especially in the western North America and points west from there (notably excluding the Eastern US) you will get to witness a Venus – Moon occultation early in the morning, just before sunrise. This doesn’t mean if you have clear skies and are in eastern North America you won’t have a glorious sight to see, just not an occultation. Be sure to have a look!
[...] wait…Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast) This article was found on Tom’s Astronomy Blog. Click here to visit the full article on the original website.Comet Thatcher also known as C/1861 G1 was discovered on April 4, 1861 by A. E. Thatcher. A [...]
I really enjoy your interesting articles. And I save some of the pics, to view later. THANKS
Question? Could there be four earth like planets revolving around a sun. All the plannets would support life. All four plants would not be the same size. Would one plannet block the sun from the other 3 plannets?
is it possible for Europeans to see any of this?
I tell ya, the crescent moon is a heckuva thing to try to find in broad daylight. I’m in the midwest here so, the sun is at 18-degrees above the horizon when the Venus occultation started at 7:45am, and after an hour of searching I still can’t find the dang thing. Perhaps the assumption that it would be visible from my location was a bit generous, or maybe I’m ill equipped or just plain blind. Either way, here I am watching it in Stellarium instead. I should’ve stayed in bed!
[...] Comet Thatcher – Tom’s Astronomy Blog This is the comet that is responsible for the Lyrids. [...]
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I live in arizona and am up 3:30 every morning and have seen the moon and venus occultation what a awe inspiring sight,,, I did not know about the meteor shower,,, but the past few mornings driving to work I have seen several falling stars,,, every one should look to the sky and be grateful for the miracle that is the universe it brings light to one heart and gladness to life,,, thanx for the info
i agree with helen.it’s nice to know that there are others with the the same views
I agree with Helen and Paul. As an amateur astronomer my first and foremost thought is thanks to the Creator for the miracle of life – that we are able to see and enjoy the wondrous beauty of the universe.