Comet C/2011 L4 (Pan-STARRS) Should Be Naked Eye Visible March 12 & 13, 2013, At Sunset, Near Crescent Moon.

C/2011 L4 (Pan-STARRS) over South Africa — last week.

C/2011 L4 as indicated by its official designation was discovered in 2011, on June 6, 2011.

It was discovered ‘robotically’ [i.e., by automated, computer software scanning digital images] by the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) initiative whose telescopes are located at the summit of Mount Haleakala on Maui, Hawaii. Hence the parenthetical name ‘Pan-STARRS’.

Calling it Comet Pan-STARRS is wrong and meaningless!

The Pan-STARRS program, an automated survey of the sky, discovers comets at a rapid rate. There are many, many comets with the parenthetical name ‘Pan-STARRS’ — this name denoting the discoverer. It is only real and unique name is C/2011 L4. Comet’s can only be named after a person involved with its discovery (or the calculation of its orbit). Comets such as this one, discovered by computer software, are not assigned a name of a person. And NO, you cannot buy its name.

Alas, it won’t be very bright. So, provided we have clear skies, next Tuesday and Wednesday, close to the Moon — around sunset.

Tags: 1997, 2013, Anura Guruge, automated, binoculars, C/1995 O1, C/2011 L4, C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS), C/2012 S1 (ISON), comet, comet ISON, Comet of the century, Comet PANSTARRS, cometary, diagram, great comet of 2013, Hale-Bopp, Haleakala, Hanukkah, Hawaii, ISON, JPL, mall telescope, March, Maui, Moon, naked eye, NASA, New England, New Hampshire, Northern Hemisphere, orbital path, Pan-STARRS, Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System, PANSTARRS, survey, Thanksgiving, two comets, visible, whe

About Anura Guruge

See 'The Blogger' on my https://nhlifefree.com/ blog.

View all posts by Anura Guruge »

« Previous post

March 2013
M	T	W	T	F	S	S
« Feb		Apr »
	1	2	3
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28	29	30	31

Latest Guruge Books

"THINK A Day -- 2019"
by Anura Guruge

Published November 2017.

eBook $0.99.
paperback $3.99.

Because THINKING is your greatest privilege.

*************************************

"Quick & Easy Meditation"
by Anura Guruge

Published October 2, 2017.

eBook $0.99.
paperback $6.00.

For those too busy to meditate.

*************************************

"Central Pain Syndrome"
by Anura Guruge

Published April 17, 2017.

eBook $2.99.
paperback $7.50.

If you have chronic, confounding pain.

*************************************

"Orgasms: 101 Facts & Trivia"
by Anura Guruge

Published April 22, 2015.

eBook $0.99.
paperback $7.25.

'A fancy that' look at human orgasms -- female & male.
*************************************
*************************************

Orgasms 101 Blog