Author Topic: Comet Ison  (Read 28651 times)

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Offline Out Fishing

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Re: Comet Ison
« Reply #15 on: February 16, 2013, 10:25:24 PM »
you would saw that in my rear view mirror and not out the windshield.  :)

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Re: Comet Ison
« Reply #16 on: February 18, 2013, 02:56:32 PM »
"COMET PAN-STARRS UPDATE: Comet Pan-STARRS (C/2011 L4), widely expected to become a naked-eye object in early March, is now closer to the sun than Venus. Solar heating is vaporizing the comet's icy core and creating a wide, fan-shaped tail visible through binoculars in the southern hemisphere. Ignacio Diaz Bobillo sends this picture from Buenos Aires, Argentina:

"I saw Comet Pan-STARRS just before daybreak in the constellation Grus," says Bobillo. "This is what it looked like through a small telescope, imaged with an exposure time of 8x2 minutes."

http://spaceweather.com/gallery/indiv_upload.php?upload_id=76708


In early March, Comet Pan-STARRS will make its closest approach to the sun inside the orbit of Mercury; at that time it could brighten to easy naked-eye visibility. No one knows exactly what will happen, however, because it is a fresh comet being exposed to solar heating for the first time. Experts discuss the possibilities in this video from Science@NASA. More: 3D orbit, ephemeris, light curves, NASA story.
Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way....Alan Watts

Offline Out Fishing

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Re: Comet Ison
« Reply #17 on: February 21, 2013, 11:23:01 AM »
"A GREEN LEMMON: At the moment there are three significant comets plunging toward the sun: Comet ISON, Comet Pan-STARRS, and Comet Lemmon. The most beautiful so far is this one:
"Comet Lemmon has a beautiful tail with lovely fine structure," says Phil Hart of Lake Eppalock, Victoria, Australia, who photographed it on Feb. 17th.

The comet is now slightly closer to the sun than Earth. Solar heating has turned it into a binocular object (magnitude +5.5 to +6) barely visible to the human eye, but dazzling through backyard telescopes, as shown in Hart's photo above.

Comet Lemmon's verdant color comes from two of the gases boiling off its nucleus: cyanogen (CN: a poisonous gas found in many comets) and diatomic carbon (C2). Both substances glow green when illuminated by sunlight in the near-vacuum of space.

The combination of its colorful atmosphere and filamentary tail make this comet visually striking. Ultimately, Comet Pan-STARRS and especially Comet ISON could surpass it, but for now the most beautiful comet in the solar system appears to be a green Lemmon. More about Comet Lemmon: 3D orbit, ephemeris, light curves."

http://spaceweather.com/gallery/indiv_upload.php?upload_id=76722
Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way....Alan Watts

Offline Out Fishing

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Re: Comet Ison
« Reply #18 on: March 01, 2013, 06:31:42 PM »
COMET PAN-STARRS UPDATE: Comet Pan-STARRS, now visible in the southern hemispherre, is brightening as it plunges toward the sun, Amateur astronomer Ian Cooper sends this report from Glen Oroua, New Zealand: "Despite lingering evening twilight and the glare from a nearly full Moon, Comet Pan-STARRS is a 3rd-magnitude object with a fine orange dust tail visible in both binoculars and small telescopes." A 30-second exposure with his Canon 450D digital camera easily revealed the comet in the not-quite-dark sky:



In early March, the comet will pass about 100 million miles from Earth as it briefly dips inside the orbit of Mercury. At that time it is expected to brighten another three-fold to 2nd magnitude, about as bright as the stars in the Big Dipper. Whether Pan-STARRS will actually be visible to the naked eye through the glow of the nearby sun remains to be seen; this NASA video explores the possibilities. Whatever happens, observers in the northern hemisphere will have a front row seat as the comet crosses the celestial equator on March 12th. Stay tuned!
Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way....Alan Watts

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Re: Comet Ison
« Reply #19 on: March 03, 2013, 06:09:17 AM »
"BRIGHT COMET PAN-STARRS: Comet Pan-STARRS (C/2011 L4) is now inside the orbit of Mercury, brightening as it plunges toward the sun. Observers in the southern hemisphere report say they can see Pan-STARRS with the unaided eye in the evening sunset sky. Carl Gruber photographed the comet on March 2nd over the city lights of Melbourne, Australia:



"Despite bad light and smog pollution, the comet's nucleus was clearly visible to the naked eye as well as a small part of the tail," says Gruber. Light curves show the comet is approaching 2nd magnitude, about as bright as the stars of the Big Dipper.

Several important dates are approaching. On March 5th, Comet Pan-STARRS makes its closest approach to Earth (1.09 AU), followed on March 10th by its closest approach to the sun (0.3 AU). As Comet Pan-STARRS passes the sun, solar glare will make it difficult to see even as the nucleus vaporizes and brightens. By March 12th and 13th, the comet will reappear in the sunset skies of the northern hemisphere not far from the crescent Moon; think photo-op! Check the realtime comet gallery for the latest images."
Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way....Alan Watts

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Re: Comet Ison
« Reply #20 on: March 04, 2013, 05:32:11 AM »
one of these days we'll have clear skies at night
to actually see some stuff

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Re: Comet Ison
« Reply #21 on: March 06, 2013, 07:31:41 PM »
"COMET PAN-STARRS AT SUNSET: Observers in the southern hemisphere are getting a good view of Comet Pan-STARRS (C/2011 L4). It appears in the western sky just after sunset, a faint but easy target for the naked eye and a wonderful sight through binoculars or a small telescope. The comet was 100 million miles from Earth on March 5th when John Sarkissian of New South Wales, Australia, took this picture:



"I photographed Comet Pan-STARRS as it set behind the CSIRO Parkes Radio Telescope (made famous in the movie The DISH)," says Sarkissian. "This is a 5 second exposure taken through my Canon 400D digital camera set on ISO 1600."

Several important dates are approaching. On March 10th, Comet Pan-STARRS makes its closest approach to the sun (0.3 AU). At that time, solar glare might make it difficult to see even as the nucleus vaporizes and brightens. O March 12th and 13th, the comet will reappear in the sunset sky--this time in the northern hemisphere not far from the crescent Moon; think photo-op! Light curves suggest that the comet's brightness will peak near 2nd magnitude, similar to the stars of the Big Dipper. Check the realtime comet gallery for the latest images."
Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way....Alan Watts

Offline Out Fishing

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Re: Comet Ison
« Reply #23 on: March 08, 2013, 10:44:44 PM »
fone home
Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way....Alan Watts

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Re: Comet Ison
« Reply #24 on: March 11, 2013, 07:13:20 AM »
"COMET PAN-STARRS UPDATE: Yesterday, March 10th, Comet Pan-STARRS (C/2011 L4) made its closest approach to the sun. Inside the orbit of Mercury, the comet was hit by solar rays ten times more intense than we experience on Earth. This sets the stage for a good show as Pan-STARRS, glowing brightly, moves into the night sky later this week. Dr. Fritz Helmut Hemmerich of Tenerife (Canary Islands) caught a hint of things to come on March 10th when he photographed the comet setting just behind the sun:




"We went high on the Teide volcano to photograph the comet [above the roiling clouds]," says Hemmerich. "Each frame in the video is a 4 second exposure taken with a Canon 1100D digital camera set at ISO 400."
Although Comet Pan-STARRS is bright, somewhere between 1st and 2nd magnitude, most observers say they are still having trouble seeing it with the unaided eye in the bright evening twilight. A few seconds exposure with a digital camera, however, reveals it easily. Binoculars help, too.
Visibility will improve in the nights ahead as the comet moves away from the sun. Dates of special interest include March 12th and 13th when Pan-STARRS passes not far from the crescent Moon. The tight conjunction on the 12th provides a splendid opportunity for sunset photographers. Look low and west for a beautiful view. Sky maps: March 12, March 13.
More: NASA video, 3D orbit, ephemeris, light curves.
Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way....Alan Watts

Offline Out Fishing

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Re: Comet Ison
« Reply #25 on: March 12, 2013, 05:52:12 AM »
"PHOTO-OP TONIGHT: Tonight, March 12th, Comet Pan-STARRS (C/2011 L4) is getting together with the slender crescent Moon for a beautiful sunset conjunction. The only question is, will you be able to see it? Naked-eye observers are having trouble finding the comet in bright twilight. The good news is, it only takes a couple of seconds of exposure time to produce a picture like this:



"This is a 2-second exposure I made using my Canon 2Ti digital camera set at ISO 800," says Russell Vallelunga of Phoenix, Arizona. "Comet Pan-STARRS was even more impressive tonight (March 11th) than last night, being much higher in the sky."

Add the crescent Moon to this scene and presto! -- a fabulous photo-op. Look low and west after sunset for the Moon and Pan-STARRS only a few degrees apart. Let the Moon guide you to the comet; it is visible to the naked eye if you know where to look. Binoculars are helpful, too. "
Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way....Alan Watts

Offline Out Fishing

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Re: Comet Ison
« Reply #26 on: March 12, 2013, 05:52:45 AM »
NOW WE JUST NEED TO GET RID OF THE RAIN AND CLOUDS  :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash:
Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way....Alan Watts

Offline Out Fishing

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Re: Comet Ison
« Reply #27 on: March 12, 2013, 08:52:14 PM »
wow salty you took that .........................nice pic
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Re: Comet Ison
« Reply #28 on: March 12, 2013, 08:54:52 PM »
No that's off the space weather site. Not me. I got a eyephone it takes crappy pics
Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way....Alan Watts

Offline Out Fishing

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Re: Comet Ison
« Reply #29 on: March 12, 2013, 09:03:48 PM »
lol...
Born to fish forced to work
time spent fishing is time well spent