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(meteorobs) An apology about prospective comet for Xmas 2001



<< If it were to behave like an average comet, it might be expected to reach
  magnitude 4.6 by mid-December 2001. This is bright enough to be easily
  visible to the naked-eye from a dark site. However, if it is a new comet and
  brightens rapidly initially, it could even be significantly better than
  this. A new comet often has a layer of very volatile carbon monoxide ice on
  the surface of its nucleus. This ice coating sublimes violently at a large
  distance from the Sun, making the comet brighten very rapidly - at least
  initially - although close to the Sun such comets "slow down" considerably. 
>>

I didn't read this news release through more carefully . . . the above 
statement makes no sense.  If this turns out to be a "new" Oort comet, then 
it would -- in all likelyhood -- fizzle out long before it reached our orbit. 
 Besides that, perigee comes a month before perihelion, so the thing wouldn't 
be well-developed at all and probably wouldn't be much more than a fuzz-ball 
with an uninspiring tail. 

Sorry about initially spreading the news about this . . . I'm so far behind 
in my Christmas stuff, I just rushed right through this without thinking.

Happy Holidays!
-- joe 
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