Comet Hyakutake comes into view

17 Jun 2002

(UPI) When the Comet Hyakutake passes within 10 million miles (16 million kilometers) of Earth on March 25-- the closest pass by a comet in more than a decade-- astronomers hope its unusual brightness will yield new clues about the rotation and composition of comets.

Although several comets approach Earth close enough to be studied each year, research of "typical" comets is often difficult to interpret because observations are sparse and the comets relatively faint, said Patrick Palmer, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Chicago.

Palmer will determine whether there is a halo of particles available around the comet-- utilizing the National Science Foundation's Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope. The VLA will be used as a receiver for a powerful radar signal sent from Goldstone, Calif., bounced off the comet and returned to Earth. Results may help his research team to "measure the distribution of centimeter-sized particles around comets," which could lead to a better understanding of what the solar system was formed out of, Palmer said.

The comet, which was discovered on Jan. 30 by Japanese amateur astronomer Yuji Hyakutake, represents the closest pass by a comet since 1983, the fifth closest pass for any comet this century, and the 19th closest known approach of a comet to Earth since Halley in 374 AD. The closest pass was Comet Lexell in 1770, which passed by only slightly further than the distance to the moon.