Dec 16 - Comet Closest, 2018's New Species

December 16 Comet Closest, 2018's New Species by:

2018's brightest comet is closest Sunday Comet 46P/Wirtanen is making one of the 10 closest comet flybys of Earth in 70 years today. Whether you glimpse it with the eye - or see it online - don't miss this comet! Tips, charts, online viewing info here. Scientists describe 229 new species in 2018 The list includes neon fish, a fast-spinning spider, moray eels, venomous snakes, and more! Read more and see pics. The newly discovered Japan pig seahorse is the size of a jellybean. Image via Calacademy. Huge, previously unknown coral reef off US East Coast Earlier this year, scientists were surprised to discover a huge forest of coldwater corals off the coast of South Carolina. A scientist aboard the expedition discusses the find. Read more. What is the Local Group? How many galaxies are now known to lie within our Local Group of galaxies? How does our Milky Way rank, size-wise? And what about the vast superclusters beyond? Answers. View larger. | Artist's concept showing our Milky Way galaxy, its satellite galaxies, and other galaxies in our Local Group. The Milky Way isn't really the center of anything; that's just the way the image is drawn. The 3 largest galaxies in the Local Group are, in descending order, the Andromeda galaxy, the Milky Way, and M33, also known as the Triangulum Galaxy. Image via Wikimedia Commons.

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Tonight … Orion's Belt and the Celestial Bridge To the Aymara - indigenous people in the Andes and Altiplano regions of South America - the famous sky feature we know as Orion's Belt is seen as a Celestial Bridge between the sky's Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Read more.

2018's brightest comet is closest Sunday This has been an amazing week for stargazing, with the Geminid meteor shower peaking on December 14 and 2018’s brightest comet – 46P/Wirtanen – closest to Earth today. Shreenivasan Manievannan created this composite image from multiple photos, captured from a single spot. Comet 46P/Wirtanen can be seen in the lower right. Note that, in your sky, the comet will not appear this bright! Tips, charts, online viewing info here. Submit your photo to EarthSky here! Did a friend forward EarthSkyNews to you? Click here to get your own subscription!

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