Researchers from the University of Reading are putting out a call for citizen scientists across the UK to submit their images of the comet<\/a> to help them to study the solar wind.<\/p> \u201cWe need lots of timed photos of the comet to build up a picture of its journey through our Solar System,\u201d says Sarah Watson, a PhD researcher from University of Reading who is leading the project.<\/p> As comets come close to the Sun, the heat causes the ice they are made of to melt, projecting a cloud of gas and dust.<\/p> The solar wind sweeps this cloud away, creating a spectacular tail that can be over 100,000km long.<\/p> As such, comets be used as cosmic windsocks, showing the direction and strength of the solar wind in the region around the comet.<\/p> \u201cWhat we are expecting to see may look rather unusual,\u201d says Watson.<\/p> \u201cWhen we talk about comets, people often think of a large, bright sphere followed by a long thin tail.<\/p> \u201cThe comet we are observing may look different as its tail could \u2018detach\u2019 as it is buffeted by solar winds.\u201d<\/p> The team will examine the images, looking at how the tail moves to determine the solar wind activity nearby.<\/p> \u201cThis is a fantastic opportunity for amateur astronomers to get out their telescopes, capture a truly spectacular cosmic moment and make a big contribution to some important science,\u201d says Watson.<\/p> Comet C\/2021 S3 PanSTARRS will be visible in the UK night sky from 14 February until the end of March 2024.<\/p> It will move in a north-northeast direction from Serpens Cauda, through Aquila<\/a>, Sagitta<\/a> and finally into Vulpecula, where it will pass through the Coathanger Cluster<\/a>.<\/p> The comet is expected to reach about 8.0 mag, meaning you won\u2019t be able to see it with the naked eye, but it should be visible in binoculars.<\/p> You can use the chart above to help you locate it in the night sky.<\/p> Get full info on observing the comet in our guide to Comet C\/2021 S3 PanSTARRS<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p> To photograph the comet you’ll need a camera that’s either attached to a telescope<\/a> or large lens.<\/p> You will also need an aligned tracking mount to keep your camera on target throughout your astrophotography session.<\/p> Photographing comets requires several exposures, usually between 30-120 seconds long \u2013 any longer and the motion of the comet can cause it to blur.<\/p> If you wish to submit your images to the study, then you can email them along with the details of the location and time it was taken to s.r.watson@pgr.reading.ac.uk<\/a>.<\/p> The team will take any image of the comet you have, but are particularly looking for any where the tail appears to wobble or completely detatches.<\/p> Find out more in our guide on how to photograph a comet<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> The solar wind is made up of a stream of charged particles coming from the Sun.<\/p> Some of these particles have enough energy to cause damage to satellites as well as harm astronauts and high-altitude air crew.<\/p> Occasionally, particularly turbulent solar winds can create powerful geomagnetic storms, which can cause power surges on Earth\u2019s surface when they hit our planet\u2019s magnetosphere.<\/p> Most of these problems can be mitigated against, provided people are forewarned.<\/p> By improving our understanding of the solar wind, astronomers will be able to provide better space weather forecasts and help protect Earth\u2019s infrastructure.<\/p> Have you managed to capture an image of the comet? Send it to the the University of Reading using the email address s.r.watson@pgr.reading.ac.uk<\/a>, and you can also send it to us via contacus@skyatnightmagazine.com<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n C\/2021 S3 PanSTARRS is the subject of a citizen science project by the University of Reading. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":55242,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"4"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/02\/astronomers-call-for-the-public-to-help-photograph-comet-in-the-night-sky.jpg",1070,1080,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/02\/astronomers-call-for-the-public-to-help-photograph-comet-in-the-night-sky-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/02\/astronomers-call-for-the-public-to-help-photograph-comet-in-the-night-sky-297x300.jpg",297,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/02\/astronomers-call-for-the-public-to-help-photograph-comet-in-the-night-sky-768x775.jpg",768,775,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/02\/astronomers-call-for-the-public-to-help-photograph-comet-in-the-night-sky-1015x1024.jpg",800,807,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/02\/astronomers-call-for-the-public-to-help-photograph-comet-in-the-night-sky.jpg",1070,1080,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/02\/astronomers-call-for-the-public-to-help-photograph-comet-in-the-night-sky.jpg",1070,1080,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"C\/2021 S3 PanSTARRS is the subject of a citizen science project by the University of Reading.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/55241"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Why scientists want pictures of the comet<\/strong><\/h2>
![\"Comet](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2020\/07\/NEOWISE-bccedb5.jpg\")
![\"Chart](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2024\/02\/Comet-C-2021-S3-PanSTARRS-march-2024.jpg\")
How to see comet C\/2021 S3 PanSTARRS<\/strong><\/h2>
Photographing Comet C\/2021 S3 PanSTARSS<\/strong><\/h2>
![\"To](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2023\/12\/dslr-camera-t-ring-telescope-1024x683.jpg?fit=800%2C534\")
![\"Comet](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2023\/03\/08.CometJoseChambo-854350a.jpg\")
Studying the solar wind<\/strong><\/h2>
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