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Subscribe to RSSNASA astronaut Dan Burbank shared a matchless view of Comet Lovejoy from the International Space Station, showing the comet's magnificent tail from a vantage point high above the atmosphere. "I probably saw the most amazing thing I have ever seen in space, and that's saying an awful lot, because every day is filled with amazing things," he told Detroit's WDIV-TV in an interview.
Hundreds of photos, captured from an altitude of 240 miles, were assembled into the video you see here. You can see the comet rise from the horizon, shining through the green line of atmospheric airglow, and then fade away as the sunrise breaks out in brilliance. It's a view only three people can see with their own eyes — although that little list will rise to six on Friday when three more crewmates arrive on a Russian Soyuz craft.
Go full screen with the video, and after you're done feasting your eyes on Burbank's amazing view, treat yourself to these other video views:
- Lovely Lovejoy! Comet shot at sunrise
- PhotoBlog: The best of NASA's night lights
- See the world from outer space ... in 60 seconds
Alan Boyle is msnbc.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.
Leave a Comment:
Since this was taken with government cameras on a tax funded space mission, shouldn't all copyright residuals be the property of the taxpaying American public?
NASA does not assert copyright over imagery for precisely that reason... The taxpayers are picking up the bill.
The same for DOD.
What a beautiful object; like a Christmas Star.
What a nice present for Christmas! I wish we had been able to see it up here. Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all of you!
The internet would be great if it werent for the people.
Amazing view of a comet, and I'm always amazed at the amount of lightning on the Earth when I see videos from the ISS.
I've been interested in lightening since I was about 3 or 4. I've been reading lots of articles about lightning and looking at video and still pics. Its amazing at how complex lightning is and how little we know about it, considering the newly discovered phenomena like sprites, jets and such (which can be seen from the ISS photos you referred to). I keep reading about it whenever I have time and am forever entertained by it. Hurray for "natures fireworks"!
Mike 9, I have a question for you that's been driving me crazy. I watched a video on the tv station called nova. Don't know if you've heard of it, pretty much all science stuff, but I caught the tail end of a conversation about lightning, and at one point it was noted that lightning does not come from the sky, rather from the ground up. Is this factual, or did I hear it wrong. Possibly a two fold thing in that it can come from the ground, or from the sky. What are your thoughts as a lightning lover................thnx
It comes from both but not 100% of the time.
The majority of Cloud to Ground (CG) lightning are negative strokes. Positive strokes tend to occur on the trailing edge of storm cells. Those are the ones that do the most damage. They tend to be lower peak current, but have a longer duration.
So, out of curiosity, do we have any idea what the object is that appears to go upward from right to left, starting just left-of-center in the atmospheric gas arc, at round the 8-second mark?
Interesting. It doesn't look like it's in a high enough orbit to be a satellite but to me it doesn't look like it is coming up from the ground. Because of the angle it is moving it looks more like it is appearing from behind the horizon. You can see the dark edge of the planet and the light appear just as the distant stars do, except this thing is moving off to the left in what appears to be a lower orbit than the ISS. Perhaps it is a large piece of space junk. I dunno. Good eyes, Brian.
Probably a satellite. It may just be far enough away that you're seeing the reflection of the sun through the atmosphere. You'll notice you can see the stars and the comet through the atmosphere as well. Impossible how at what altitude it's flying. Like Mob said, good eyes.
Real good eyes! Took me a while to find what you mentioned. It isn't anything orbiting and it actually appears to be moving slightly up and away from view, at a flat slight angle, as it moves to the left of the screen. That could be just a trick of the light though. Neat!
atleast noone reported it as a ufo...yet
That's no comet. That was a UFO, beamin' back at ya. Me and Eric Heisman was down in Mexico two weeks ago - we seen forty of 'em flying in formation. They've got bases all over the world now, you know. They've been coming here ever since nineteen forty-six - when the scientists first started bouncin' radar beams off of the moon. And they have been livin' and workin' among us in vast quantities ever since. The government knows all about 'em.~~ Well, they are people, just like us - from within our own solar system. Except that their society is more highly evolved. I mean, they don't have no wars, they got no monetary system, they don't have any leaders, because, I mean, each man is a leader. I mean, each man - because of their technology, they are able to feed, clothe, house, and transport themselves equally - and with no effort...Why don't they reveal themselves to us is because if they did it would cause a general panic. Now, I mean, we still have leaders upon whom we rely for the release of this information. These leaders have decided to repress this information because of the tremendous shock that it would cause to our antiquated systems. Now, the result of this has been that the Venutians have contacted people in all walks of life - all walks of life. It would be a devastatin' blow to our antiquated systems - so now the Venutians are meeting with people in all walks of life - in an advisory capacity. For once man will have a god-like control over his own destiny. He will have a chance to transcend and to evolve with some equality for all.~
That was deep.
Hey jermaine88, it didn't take so long!
Can I have some of whatever it is you been smoking? Bet you didn't get it at CVS!
This is a beautiful display of nature that we are very lucky to see. Appreciate it for what it is and leave the tin foil hat in your basement.
hey i like my tin-foil hat .don't you know its the 'style' nowadays?
bravo, George!
It's sad people trivialize and make fun of a serious subject like extra-terrestrial life. Given our recent discoveries of new types of life on Earth, such as bacteria in extreme cold and heat, and our discoveries of possible Earth-like planets, life most likely, exists in abundance in our universe, and some of it may be intelligent and capable of visiting us. The math alone, point us to this conclusion.
Too bad, we've turned that in to lore and fiction, ridiculing anyone who may have seen or experienced something that can't be explained.
While I can't say for sure, there is growing evidence, from military personnel and even astronauts, that UFO's do exist. What they are, we just don't know. To rule out any possibility that they are extra-terrestrial or extra-dimensional, is the height of arrogance and ignorance.
Let's keep an open mind. There is so much we humans don't know.
yakfitguy, people open themselves up to ridicule when they make the type of claims that DrKarlStalin is making, which are straight out of a David Icke fantasy. While the probability that there is life somewhere out there is high, and some of it might even be evolved and intelligent, the notion that they are visiting us right now, and that anyone knows anything about them is ridiculous.
Perhaps if people would stop making things up, it would lend the people who have truly seen something that they can't explain some credibility.
It was swamp gas; no wait actually it was a weather balloon. All kidding aside I wouldn't be surprised if it was a communications satellite; judging actual distances, as I understand it can be confusing, while in orbit. Perhaps with closer study and analysis the posers actual identity can be surmised.
so when does comet lovejoy head back for a repeat hot solar plasma defying spectacular encore????
i'll go with the venutian space craft theory, works for me, merry xmas
I think it is more likely the lost tribe returning. The 13th tribe of Israel that the Mormon Church said lived on the moon. When in fact they were out traveling around the galaxy and have now decided it is time to come home.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL OF YOU FROM BOTH OF ME!
retired SFC, lmao............thanx for the early morning humor. All three of me had to laugh at that one.................excellent
WOW! A comment thread and not one political piece of garbage yet? Must be Bush's, no wait Obama's, no wait the Republican's, no wait the Democrat's, no wait the liberal's, no wait the conservative's, fault.
Just kidding folks.
Merry Christmas and Happy holidays to everyone.
Thanx Karl, U R the 1st political schitthead here, no kidding aside !!
When did reverend Lovejoy get a comet named after him?
Doh! The comet is actually named after its discoverer, Australian amateur astronomer Terry Lovejoy, rather than the "Simpsons" character. Here's an interview with Terry:
http://www.space.com/13957-doomed-sungrazing-comet-terry-lovejoy-interview.html
hope...they get some picture's of a sled and some rain deer ...headed our way...merry christmas ya'll...
With the ways & reasons for gun discharges, lately, it better not be Santa's reindeer!
Think of this planet's recent rash of shootings by dumb hunters and smart dogs, plain bob. Duh?!
Happy Holidays, all.
You've got it all wrong. That is not a comet! It is in fact my mother in law headed this way for the holidays. She never was one to do things in a small fashion. The reason it is so well lit up,is she has a really big butt!
Spectacular really.
Not to sound like a smart a** but those out there saying it was a satellite, your going to contradict an astronaut who said it was a comet. The man has more degrees and experience in, on and around this planet than anybody reading this site. Come on!! At least Dr Stalin is colorful, imaginative and out of his mind, and a very good read for a friday morning. When does the movie come out?
And like so many, Merry Christmas and a very happy new year. We need it!!!
Just wondering, are those mercury laden light bulb's above the space lab dudes head?
One of them needs replacing! Wonder how they dispose of them?
I've never seen such a blatant display of racism! How come every time there's a UFO siting it gets blamed on the Venutians? What....there aren't any other spacemen out there that can live among us peacefully? Only the Venutians have cool space ships and teleportation systems? I suppose the Martians and Saturnians are too stupid and aren't technologically advanced enough.........you all disgust me.
Hey, mikesac...it is a shame the racist crap's gotta extend to the cosmos.
I told my Vulcan, Romulan and Klingon friends to stay away from this planet!
K'pla!
C_D_J55
I wish you would have told that to the Borg and Ferengi.
It appears they have "Assimilated" all of Earth's governments (especially ours)
I guess "Resistance Is Futile" :)
MSNBC:
On a more joyful note..... Thanks for the great article as I really enjoyed it.
Also thanks for all the great comments very fun to read.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.
For the intelligence our elected officials display lately, I think you are mistaken. I think our elected officials were assimilated by a PET ROCK!
Retired SFC-2541031,
I stand partially corrected as you may be closer to the truth.
I should have said "Tribbles" hence the cause of all our Troubles :)
Seriously...could someone please try to figure out what that was at the 8 second mark? Or get someone involved (or point me to someone serios/smart/ rational/ even a serious ufologist) who would know? I saw it the first time I watched the video and it is really interesting to say the least, not to mention bugging me because now when I watch the video that is all that I seem to focus on. I want to believe it is a satellite but I dunno. Any real help here?
lost, that really is a satellite orbiting below the ISS, before the comet appears if that is what you mean. It appears from the earthglow, brightens and dims, wiggles a bit as well, then moves over the horizon. Its orbit as well as that of the ISS and also the refraction of light thru our thin atmosphere creates all the special effects. Sorta like a pencil in a half full glass of water, but moving. It isn't amazing how thin our atmosphere really is and how much schitt we pump into it ?? Otherwise, it is an alien scout spacecraft preparing for an invasion to devour all lifeforms before 12/21/12 !
If we are talking about the dot sized object directly in the center of the vid just at tthe horizon at the :08 mark then shooting off toward the left of the screen( or appearing to) then thank you for your explanation. It helps :) But are we talking about the same object? Just curious and thanks...can not believe how curious I have become over this lol!!
That was a comet?
I thought that was Cpt Kirk.
Actually if you zoomed in on the tail of the comet, you would see a space ship and in the windows of that space ship you would see all the members of Heaven's Gate waving. ( I know wrong comet. )
Great read and comments ! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
front roll seat for nasa
WOW! I often wondered if these guys could see things we on earth cannot see, but through telescopes. So this answered my question.
Wonderful view of Comet Lovejoy! And I sincerely hope NASA does make a movie of it. I've love to see it! :D
Seriously...could someone please try to figure out what that was at the 8 second mark? Or get someone involved (or point me to someone serios/smart/ rational/ even a serious ufologist) who would know? I saw it the first time I watched the video and it is really interesting to say the least, not to mention bugging me because now when I watch the video that is all that I seem to focus on. I want to believe it is a satellite but I dunno. Any real help here?