Comet 209P/Linear -- what does that mean? Night of May 23 - 24, 2014

from UNIVERSE TODAY dot-com -- background information and tips: The comet was discovered in Feb. 2004 by the Lincoln Laboratory Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) automated sky survey. Given its stellar appearance at the time of discovery it was first thought to be an asteroid, but photos taken the following month photos by Rob McNaught (Siding Spring Observatory, Australia) revealed a narrow tail. Unlike long period comets Hale-Bopp and the late Comet ISON that swing around the sun once every few thousand years or few million years, this one’s a frequent visitor, dropping by every 5.09 years. Read more: http://www.universetoday.com/111829/how-to-see-209plinear-the-comet-brewing-up-saturdays-meteor-shower/#ixzz32YYekGcH