It seems Christmas came early on the International Space Station, as all the commander of the ISS could say about the comet is that it was “amazing.”
The commander of the ISS, peering out the multi-windowed Cupola observatory, has captured what is sure to be one of the most iconic images ever taken aboard the low-earth orbit science lab. The amazing images show Comet Lovejoy, which survived a trip through the sun’s atmosphere last week. The comet, which made its first appearance this year before plunging into the Sun, is being dubbed as a “Christmas comet” or even as the “Christmas star.”
“Two nights ago I probably saw the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen in space and that’s saying an awful lot because every day is filled with amazing things,” said Burbank. “Just before the sun came up, the Earth’s limb was lit up as a thin sliver of blue and purple and then there was this long, green arc that extended probably 10 degrees or so from the horizon.”
The images come just weeks as the comet’s close encounter was recorded by at least five spacecraft: NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory and twin probes. The images were snapped just days before Christmas on the ISS, which is said to feature a number of space treats.
Speaking Friday, Mr. Burbank said ISS astronauts were already prepared to celebrate the upcoming holiday, noting that the group of astronauts were enjoying the Christmas cheer.
“We’ve already put up decorations, and we’ve gathered together all the cards and gifts that our friends and families have sent to us, and we’re planning a couple of big meals,” said Mr.Burbank. “That’ll be great.”
Comet Lovejoy has been the talk of the astronomy community over the past few weeks. It was discovered on 27 November by the Australian amateur astronomer Terry Lovejoy and was classified as a Kreutz sungrazer, with its orbit taking it very close to the Sun.
Earlier this week, the comet entered the Sun’s corona, passing a mere 140,000 kilometres from the surface of the Sun. The comet’s close encounter was recorded by at least five spacecraft: NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory and twin STEREO probes, Europe’s Proba2 microsatellite, and the ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory.
The holidays in the ISS comes just days after astronauts arrived Thursday just in time for a zero gravity holiday party to begin a five-month stay in orbit.
NASA astronaut Don Pettit, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko and Dutch astronaut Andre Kuipers of the European Space Agency docked at the orbiting laboratory late Thursday, the latest transition to take place on the orbiting space station.
The team at NASA’s mission control center in Houston, Texas, announced the arrival, adding some holiday cheer as the ISS crew embarked on the latest mission in low-earth orbit.
