SOHO's 1000th Comet Contest
26 January 2005
Although not originally designed for this purpose, SOHO has become the most prolific discoverer of comets in the history of astronomy. |
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Two comets heading for the Sun. Credit: SOHO/LASCO (ESA/NASA) |
On 15 January this year, a new milestone was reached with the discovery of the 900th comet. This has set the stage for upcoming discoveries that eventually lead to the 1000th comet on the SOHO list.
To celebrate the upcoming milestone and the success of the SOHO mission a contest is set up, and you can enter to predict the date and time when the 1000th comet will make its closest approach to the Sun (perihelion). The person closest to the time, either before or after the comet reaches perihelion, wins.
Details on the contest and how to enter can be found at http://soho.nascom.nasa.gov/comet1000/
The closing date for submitting your entry is 15 May.
The first prize is a package of goodies that will include the SolarMax DVD, a SOHO T-shirt, solar viewing glasses, and a selection of SOHO materials. Second and third place entries will receive the same package without the DVD.
History of SOHO milestone discovery dates
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Comet # |
Discovery Date |
| 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 |
04 February 2000 31 August 2000 25 March 2001 26 February 2001 14 August 2002 29 April 2003 02 December 2003 11 June 2004 15 January 2005 |