Comet Lulin is a comet discovered by the Taiwanese astronomer Lin Chi-Sheng and the Chinese student Ye Quanzhi, working at the Lulin Observatory in Taiwan. It passed close to the Earth in early 2009, when it was visible to the naked eye in dark skies, and it was noted for its green coma, caused by the glow of diatomic carbon and cyanogen in the gas around the nucleus. Observers also saw an unusual tail pointing toward the Sun, called an anti-tail, which is an effect of perspective as dust trails in the comet's orbital plane. It was observed by the Swift spacecraft and many amateur astronomers, and it will not return for many thousands of years.
Before and after
- June 2007Shut Up and Drive
- from 15 June 2007 to 19 June 2007Battle of Chora
- 19 June 2007When You're Gone
- 7 July 2007Release of HotCat
- 11 July 2007Discovery of Comet Lulin
- 13 July 2007Birth of Lamine Yamal
- 16 July 20072007 Chūetsu offshore earthquake
- 30 July 2007Death of Ingmar Bergman
- August 2007Launch of SoundCloud
More in Universe & space
- 22 June 1978Discovery of Charon
- 4 March 1979Discovery of Metis
- 24 April 1990Launch of Hubble Space Telescope
- 1998Supernovae show that cosmic expansion is accelerating
- 10 April 2019The first image of a black hole
- 25 December 2021Launch of James Webb Space Telescope
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 21st century.