McNaught comet passes Earth, heads for the Sun

The C/2009 R1 McNaught comet passed the Earth on Wednesday at the closest proximity of 170 million kilometers and continues moving toward the Sun, a Russian astronomer said.



"The comet passed the closest point [to the Earth] early on June 16 at a distance of 169.8 million kilometers," said Sergei Barabanov, head of the Zvenigorod observatory in the Moscow Region.

The comet, discovered in 2009 by well-known British-Australian astronomer and "comet-catcher" Robert H. McNaught, will pass t [...]

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