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"Comet ISON (C/2012 S1) is currently in the constellation Gemini, moving between the heads of the twins Castor and Pollux," says Chumack. "It is still pretty faint, near 16th magnitude, but don't be fooled by that. This could become one of the best comets in many years."
Comet ISON is a sungrazer. On Nov. 28, 2013, it will fly through the sun's outer atmosphere only 1.2 million km from the stellar surface below. If the comet survives the encounter, it could emerge glowing as brightly as the Moon, visible near the sun in the blue daylight sky. The comet's dusty tail stretching into the night would create a worldwide sensation.
Comet ISON looks so puny now because it is so far away, currently near the orbit of Jupiter. As it falls toward the sun in the months ahead it will warm up and reveal more about its true character. By the summer of 2013, researchers should know whether optimistic predictions about Comet ISON are justified. Possibilities range from "Comet of the Century (http://science.time.com/2012/12/20/coming-in-2013-the-comet-of-the-century/)" to disintegrated dud (http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/asteroids/news/elenin20111025.html).
(http://www.spaceweather.com/images2013/09jan13/ison_strip.jpg)
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I wonder how many cults will commit suicide this time?
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Too funny...
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I'm gonna keep this a sticky. This one could be cool to watch.
Here's what it looks like today.
(http://www.spaceweather.com/images2013/17jan13/isoninmotion_strip2.jpg)
currently right now the earth is being hit with a very large proton storm/coronal mass ejection going 984,400 miles per hour. holy crap!
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http://www.space.com/19408-bright-comets-approaching-2013.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo (http://www.space.com/19408-bright-comets-approaching-2013.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo)
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COMET WAINSCOAT IS EARLY MARCH!
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"This comet will become visible to the naked eye for observers in the Southern Hemisphere in early February in the morning sky. It will be at its brightest on March 10, when it will pass close to the sun and move into the evening sky, becoming visible to observers in the Northern Hemisphere. Look for it just above and to the left of the setting sun.
"Comet Wainscoat" will continue to be a bright object in the evening sky for the rest of March and the first two weeks in April."
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Did you see this ....want to invest?
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/asteroid-2012-da14-pass-close-earth-february-15/story?id=18413554 (http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/asteroid-2012-da14-pass-close-earth-february-15/story?id=18413554)
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suuure that's pocket change :)
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http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/06feb_panstarrs/ (http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/06feb_panstarrs/)
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COMET ISON SPROUTS A TAIL: Comet ISON, which is plunging toward the sun for a bright and fiery encounter in late 2013, has just sprouted a tail. It's not much--yet--but that is because the comet is still in deep space near the orbit of Jupiter. On. Feb. 3rd, amateur astronomer Rolando Ligustri photographed the development using a robotic telescope in New Mexico:
Comet ISON doesn't look very impressive now as it glides through the cold vacuum more than 600,000 km from Earth, but its appearance will improve later this year. On Nov. 28th, ISON is going to glide through the sun's atmosphere only 1.1 million km above the stellar surface. It could emerge from the encounter glowing as brightly as the full Moon, visible in broad daylight near the sun. If so, today's budding tail would likely grow into a garish appendage that wows observers in both hemispheres--no telescope required.
(http://spaceweather.com/submissions/pics/r/rolando-ligustri-C2012S1_130203_tec_1359881732_lg.jpg)
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Hopefully, this will be spectacular.... Nice companion for some nighttime bass fishing...
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yes I'm hoping too. This could be really big. Imagine the sun is heating that thing 600,000 miles away. Enough to make it get a gaseous tail.
I wonder if the thing is large enough to survive a plunge around the sun.
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Up early today and this is the first thing I saw on the news. I immediately jumped on this site as I thought you'd have something on this. here's a link. Everybody needs to man their helmets and duck.
http://news.yahoo.com/possible-meteor-shower-reported-eastern-russia-052833588.html (http://news.yahoo.com/possible-meteor-shower-reported-eastern-russia-052833588.html)
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steel hats today laddies
:)
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you would saw that in my rear view mirror and not out the windshield. :)
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"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 (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.
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"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 (http://spaceweather.com/gallery/indiv_upload.php?upload_id=76722)
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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:
(http://spaceweather.com/gallery/indiv_upload.php?upload_id=76980)
(http://spaceweather.com/submissions/pics/i/Ian-Cooper-2013.02.27-08.09-U.T.-450D-300mm-F5.6-30-secs-ISO-400_1361963491_lg.jpg)
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!
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"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:
(http://www.spaceweather.com/images2013/03mar13/gruber_strip.jpg)
"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."
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one of these days we'll have clear skies at night
to actually see some stuff
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"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:
(http://www.spaceweather.com/images2013/06mar13/sunsetcomet_strip.jpg)
"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."
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ET saves Russia!
Russian Meteorite UFO SHOT SAVED PEOPLE Перехват челябинского метеорита (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOTjTaOreEw#ws)
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fone home
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"COMET PAN-STARRS UPDATE: Yesterday, March 10th, Comet Pan-STARRS (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZlenAvqLCI#ws) (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:
(http://www.spaceweather.com/images2013/11mar13/tenerife_strip.jpg)
"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 (http://www.spaceweather.com/images2013/12mar13/skymap.gif?PHPSESSID=jatjgoq2o10urorr7d3d140so2), March 13 (http://www.spaceweather.com/images2013/13mar13/skymap.gif?PHPSESSID=jatjgoq2o10urorr7d3d140so2).
More: NASA video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZlenAvqLCI#ws), 3D orbit (http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=c%2F2011%20L4;orb=1;cov=0;log=0;cad=0#orb), ephemeris (http://scully.cfa.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/returnprepeph.cgi?d=c&o=CK11L040), light curves (http://www.aerith.net/comet/catalog/2011L4/2011L4.html).
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"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:
(http://www.spaceweather.com/images2013/12mar13/sunsetcomet_strip.jpg)
"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. "
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NOW WE JUST NEED TO GET RID OF THE RAIN AND CLOUDS :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash:
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wow salty you took that .........................nice pic
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No that's off the space weather site. Not me. I got a eyephone it takes crappy pics
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lol...
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"THE COMET SHOW BEGINS: Last night, March 12th, a rare meeting occured in the sunset sky. Comet Pan-STARRS (C/2011 L4) was only a few degrees away from the exquisitely-slender crescent Moon. Brian Klimowski sends this picture from the countryside near Flagstaff, Arizona:
(http://www.spaceweather.com/images2013/13mar13/conjunction2_strip.jpg)
"Beautiful show this evening!" says Klimowski. "I took the photo from an altitude of about 9500 feet in the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff. A 1-second exposure with my Canon digital camera easily revealed the comet."
Because of the sunset glow, Comet Pan-STARRS remains at the lower limit of naked-eye visibility. A small number of observers have reported seeing the comet with averted vision but, for the most part, binoculars are required. The situation will improve in the nights ahead as Comet Pan-STARRS moves away from the sun into darker skies. Later this week it might be possible to walk outside after nightfall, look west, and see the comet with the unaided eye. If you would like to try tonight, look for Comet Pan-STARRS directly underneath the waxing crescent Moon"
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just spectacular....
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I looked last night below the moon and didn't see it.
"COMET PAN-STARRS UPDATE: Comet Pan-STARRS might have brightened even more than expected when it swung past the sun on March 10th. Updated light curves show the comet peaked at 0th magnitude, about 2.5 times brighter than a 1st-magnitude star. Unfortunately, bright twilight surrounds the comet, making it difficult to find. Last night, Chris Cook pointed it out to his son from a sand dune in Cape Cod, Massachusetts,:
(http://www.spaceweather.com/images2013/14mar13/cook_strip.jpg)
Even staring straight at it, however, father and son had trouble seeing the comet. Cook used a 2-second exposure with his digital camera to improve the view.
The situation will improve in the nights ahead as Comet Pan-STARRS moves away from the sun into darker skies. Soon, it might be possible to walk outside after nightfall, look west, and see the brightening comet with the unaided eye. If you would like to try tonight, look for Comet Pan-STARRS directly underneath the waxing crescent Moon: sky map."
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THE MAGNITUDE OF COMET PAN-STARRS: "There seem to be a lot of pictures, but a shortage of magnitude estimates for Comet Pan-STARRS," says Richard Keen, professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Colorado. "I saw it for the first time this evening, and got a magnitude estimate before the comet slipped behind a narrow cloud bank." Keen is an expert observer of astronomical brightness, especially that of lunar eclipses which he uses to study aerosols in the stratosphere. "The comet is magnitude +0.2 with a short, but bright vertical tail. It was quite visible to the unaided eye. After the [head of the comet] set behind the mountains, the tail was visible for two or three more minutes."
A growing number of observers say they can see the comet with their unaided eye. Here it is on March 14th at sunset over Valley Forge, PA:
(http://spaceweather.com/gallery/indiv_upload.php?upload_id=78519)
"The comet looked fantastic through my 10x70 Fujinon binoculars, and it was barely visible to the naked eye," says photographer John Chumack. Note: "Barely visible" is an improvement over recent nights.
Visibility should continue to improve in the nights ahead as Pan-STARRS moves away from the sun. Keen's magnitude estimate of +0.2 means that the comet is approximately twice as bright as a first magnitude star. When it is framed by darker skies, it will really stand out. Tonight when the sun goes down, step outside, face west, and take a look: "
(http://www.spaceweather.com/images2013/14mar13/skymap.gif)
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i always liked playing connect the dots :bhappy:
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JIIIIIMMMMMMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
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"THE BRIGHTNESS OF COMET PAN-STARRS: Comet Pan-STARRS is receding from the sun and dimming as it goes, yet sky watchers are seeing it better than ever. Because the comet is moving into darker skies, its visibility is improving. Atmospheric sciences professor Richard Keen of the University of Colorado is an expert at measuring the brightness of astronomical objects. "My best estimate for its brightness yesterday is magnitude +1.9, a factor of five fainter than five days earlier," says Keen. "However, thanks to the increasing altitude of the comet in a somewhat darker sky, it is still just as easy to see with the naked eye - actually, a bit easier, because it's no longer buried in the trees." Keen took this picture of the comet setting over the continental divide on March 19th:
(http://www.spaceweather.com/images2013/21mar13/quitebright_strip.jpg)
"The comet is easy to spot here in the clear high-altitude skies of Colorado," Keen continues. "It appears to the unaided eye in the twilight sky as a slightly fuzzy star. Observers in more humid or hazier climates still might need binoculars to locate the comet."
"PanSTARRS will likely fade another magnitude or two over the next week as the moon brightens towards full on the night of the 26th," he predicts. "Then, on the 28th of March, the moon will rise a couple of hours after sunset, and the comet will become visible in a dark sky for the first time (for Northern observers). I expect it will still be of naked-eye brightness."
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http://weather.yahoo.com/comet-ison-see-potential-comet-century-online-today-151324702.html (http://weather.yahoo.com/comet-ison-see-potential-comet-century-online-today-151324702.html)
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Getting bigger. As seen from the Hubble telescope
http://www.space.com/21816-comet-ison-fireworks-hubble-space-telescope-the-comet-of-the-century-video.html (http://www.space.com/21816-comet-ison-fireworks-hubble-space-telescope-the-comet-of-the-century-video.html)
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http://www.space.com/22002-comet-ison-timeline-sun-flyby.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo (http://www.space.com/22002-comet-ison-timeline-sun-flyby.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo)
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Tis coming!
http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2013/09/10/if-the-sun-doesnt-blast-it-comet-ison-will-soon-light-up-the-sky/ (http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2013/09/10/if-the-sun-doesnt-blast-it-comet-ison-will-soon-light-up-the-sky/)
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COMET ISON: Comet ISON is still more than two months away from its spectacular close encounter with the sun. Amateur astronomers aren't waiting. The brightening comet has become a good target for backyard telescopes in the pre-dawn sky and pictures of the comet (http://spaceweather.com/gallery/index.php?title=comet&title2=ison) are pouring in. Chris Schur captured this image from his home observatory in Payson, Arizona:
(http://www.spaceweather.com/images2013/18sep13/ison_strip.jpg)
(http://[url=http://www.spaceweather.com/images2013/18sep13/ison_strip.jpg]http://www.spaceweather.com/images2013/18sep13/ison_strip.jpg[/url]) "This 25 minute exposure shows the comet through a 12 inch telescope," says Schur. "The image has sharp focus, perfect tracking and the star trails are unbroken and smooth. A nearby star added to the nice composition."
At the moment, ISON is too dim for the naked eye--"I estimate the comet's magnitude to be +12.5," says Schur--but it is on track to become an impressive sungrazer. For comparison, Comet ISON is brighter than Comet Lovejoy was in 2011 at a similar distance from the sun. The fact that Comet Lovejoy turned into a spectacular sungrazer (http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/12jan_cometlovejoy/) bodes well for the performance of Comet ISON.
Observers of Comet ISON will notice that it is in the same part of the sky as Mars. The comet will make a close approach to the Red Planet on October 1st, and during that time Mars satellites will be taking ISON's picture at point blank range. Those images will likely rival or improve upon the view from Earth. Stay tuned to the Comet ISON Photo Gallery (http://spaceweather.com/gallery/index.php?title=comet&title2=ison) for updates from both planets.
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IS COMET ISON POISED TO DISINTEGRATE? As Comet ISON passes Mars en route to the sun this week, the comet is still faint. Nevertheless, many experts believe the comet is on track to become a bright sungrazer in late November. Astronomer Ignacio Ferrin of the University of Antioquia Institute of Physics in Colombia disagrees. Ferrin believes Comet ISON is about to disintegrate. The light curve of ISON, he argues, resembles the light curves of other comets that have have fallen apart. If he's right, the "Comet of the Century" could turn into a century-class disappointment. Stay tuned to the Comet ISON Photo Gallery for updates.
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COMET ISON IN COLOR: Comet ISON is brightening as it approaches the sun. Estimates by experienced observers put the comet between 10th and 11th magnitude. That's too dim to see with the unaided eye, but bright enough for color photography through mid-sized backyard telescopes. Michael Jäger of Weißenkirchen, Austria, observed the comet on Oct. 5th and found that it was green:
(http://www.spaceweather.com/images2013/06oct13/greencomet_strip.jpg)
To image the comet, Jäger combined multiple exposures through red, green, blue, ultraviolet and infrared filters. Details may be found here.
ISON's green color comes from the gases surrounding its icy nucleus. Jets spewing from the comet's core probably contain 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.
Finding Comet ISON is easy. It rises alongside Mars in the eastern sky just before dawn. Amateur astronomers, if you have a GOTO telescope, enter these coordinates. Sky maps: Oct. 7, 8.
The comet merits watching in the weeks ahead. While many experts believe ISON is on track to become a bright sungrazer in late November, astronomer Ignacio Ferrin of the University of the Antioquia Institute of Physics in Colombia predicts a different outcome. He believes Comet ISON is about to disintegrate. The light curve of ISON, Ferrin argues, resembles those of other comets that have fallen apart prematurely. If he's right, the "Comet of the Century" could turn into a century-class fizzle. Stay tuned to the Comet ISON Photo Gallery for updates.
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He used his iphone ::)
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http://www.space.com/23444-how-to-see-comet-ison-in-november-2013-video.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo (http://www.space.com/23444-how-to-see-comet-ison-in-november-2013-video.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo)
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COMET ISON NOW A BINOCULAR OBJECT: Comet ISON is brightening as it approaches the sun. Multiple observers now report that it is a binocular object. "I finally saw Comet ISON for the first time using small binoculars!" says pilot Brian Whittaker. He was flying 38,000 feet over the Mediterranean Sea on Nov. 8th when he took this picture showing where to look:
"It was faint, but is predicted to brighten and move each day," he adds. "Exciting! "
"I have made my first confirmed binocular sighting of C/2012 S1 ISON as well," reports Pete Lawrence of Selsey UK on Nov. 9th. "ISON's head appears small and stellar through a pair of 15x70s optics."
Comet ISON is currently moving through the constellation Virgo low in the eastern sky before dawn. Shining like an 8th magnitude star, it is still too dim for naked eye viewing, but an increasingly easy target for backyard optics. Amateur astronomers, if you have a GOTO telescope, enter these coordinates. Special dates of interest are Nov. 17th and 18th when the comet will pass the bright star Spica. Sky maps: Nov. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19.
Don't delay, because Comet ISON is plunging toward the sun for a perilous encounter on Nov. 28th. At closest approach, the comet will be deep inside the sun's corona and little more than a million kilometers from the fiery stellar surface. If ISON survives--a big IF--it could emerge from solar fire as a naked-eye comet for northern-hemisphere observers in December. Monitoring is encouraged!
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COMET ISON SPROUTS A DOUBLE TAIL: Amateur astronomers are getting a better look at Comet ISON as it dives toward the sun for a Nov. 28th close encounter with solar fire. As the heat rises, the comet brightens, revealing new details every day. This photo, taken Nov. 10th by Michael Jäger of Jauerling Austria, shows a beautiful double tail:
(http://www.spaceweather.com/images2013/11nov13/double_strip.jpg) (http://spaceweathergallery.com/indiv_upload.php?upload_id=89419)
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One tail is the ion tail. It is a thin streamer of ionized gas pushed away from the comet by solar wind. The filamentary ion tail points almost directly away from the sun.
The other tail is the dust tail. Like Hansel and Gretel leaving bread crumbs to mark their way through the forest, ISON is leaving a trail of comet dust as it moves through the solar system. Compared to the lightweight molecules in the ion tail, grains of comet dust are heavier and harder for solar wind to push around. The dust tends to stay where it is dropped. The dust tail, therefore, traces the comet's orbit and does not point directly away from the sun as the ion tail does.
Comet ISON is currently moving through the constellation Virgo low in the eastern sky before dawn. Shining like an 8th magnitude star, it is still too dim for naked eye viewing, but an increasingly easy target for backyard optics. Amateur astronomers, if you have a GOTO telescope, enter these coordinates. Special dates of interest are Nov. 17th and 18th when the comet will pass the bright star Spica. Sky maps: Nov. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19.
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(http://www.spaceweather.com/images2013/18nov13/reallylong_strip.jpg)
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Moved to the main forum to give more exposure. Eastern sky before sunrise is the best time to look. If it survives it's trip around the sun on the 28th it will be visible to the naked eye!
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http://www.space.com/23673-comet-ison-brightness-predictions.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo (http://www.space.com/23673-comet-ison-brightness-predictions.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo)
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Channel 2 has a documentary on at 2 pm today..I'm sure it will be replayed?
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missed it
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Thanksgiving is the big day.
You can download the show on I tunes...I don't know if it is free or not?
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i'll look for it tnx
happy turkey day bubba
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Thanksgiving is the day the comet goes by the sun..The questions is will it burn up or come through the other side?
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yep 28th...we'll soon see :)
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/comet-ison-if-it-survives-trip-around-the-sun-could-bring-spectacular-sky-show/2013/11/24/f544103a-53b6-11e3-a7f0-b790929232e1_story.html (http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/comet-ison-if-it-survives-trip-around-the-sun-could-bring-spectacular-sky-show/2013/11/24/f544103a-53b6-11e3-a7f0-b790929232e1_story.html)
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"COMET ISON, SO FAR SO GOOD: Comet ISON is hurtling toward the sun today at 148,000 mph and, despite the rising heat, the comet appears to be intact. Yesterday, reports of fading spectral lines from the comet's core raised concerns that the icy nucleus might be disintegrating. Current images from NASA and ESA spacecraft, however, show the comet still going strong. Comet ISON has just entered the field of view of the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO):"
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SOHO pic
(http://www.spaceweather.com/images2013/27nov13/isoncme_anim.gif)
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Ison is doomed..hope we get a look at it?
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COMET ISON UPDATE: Comet ISON is brightening rapidly as it plunges into the sun's atmosphere. At closest approach around 1:45 p.m. EST on Nov. 28th (Thanksgiving Day in the USA), the comet will be little more than a million kilometers above the sun's fiery surface. Temperatures around ISON's icy nucleus could rise as high as 5000o F. No one knows if it can survive that kind of baking--but if it does, it could emerge as a splendid naked-eye comet in early December.
Right now, the best views of the comet are coming from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). Click to view a 27-hour movie of ISON approaching the sun
(http://www.spaceweather.com/images2013/28nov13/sundiver_anim.gif)
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Looking at some older stuff this morning.
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/16dec_cometlovejoy/ (http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/16dec_cometlovejoy/)
That comet survived at 120,000km, Comet Ison is a little more than 1,000,000km from the sun.
There is a very good possibility we are going to see a comet in broad daylight.
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flameout major bummer!
CANCEL THE EULOGY: Comet ISON flew through the sun's atmosphere on Nov. 28th and the encounter did not go well for the icy comet. Just before perihelion (closest approach to the sun) the comet rapidly faded and appeared to disintegrate. This prompted reports of ISON's demise. However, a fraction of the comet has survived. Click on the image below to see what emerged from Comet ISON's brush with solar fire:
(http://www.spaceweather.com/images2013/28nov13/rip_anim5.gif)
In the movie, Comet ISON seems to be falling apart as it approaches the sun. Indeed, researchers working with NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory said they saw nothing along the track that ISON was expected to follow through the sun's atmosphere. Nevertheless, something has emerged. Whether this is a small scorched fragment of Comet ISON's nucleus or perhaps a "headless comet"--a stream of debris marking the remains of the comet's disintegrated core--remains to be seen.
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MAYBE NOT!
http://www.space.com/23782-comet-ison-is-alive-survives-sun-swing-video.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo (http://www.space.com/23782-comet-ison-is-alive-survives-sun-swing-video.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo)
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COMET ISON LIVES (UPDATED): Cancel the funeral. Comet ISON is back from the dead. Yesterday, Nov. 28th, Comet ISON flew through the sun's atmosphere and appeared to disintegrate before the cameras of several NASA and ESA spacecraft. This prompted reports of the comet's demise. Today, the comet has revived and is rapidly brightening. Click to view a SOHO coronagraph movie of the solar flyby (updated Nov. 29 @ 1800 UT):
WOOOOOHOOOOO!!!!!
This should get very bright in the next week now!!
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There is a free app on itunes called COMET WATCH that will show you where to look each day for the comet. Sometime in the next week it should come out from behind the corona of the sun enough to see it.
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nice salt i.............. got look for that som bitch
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Comet ISON Dives Toward the Sun on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/80568171)
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DUD
COMET ISON DIES ... AGAIN: Comet ISON is fading fast as it recedes from the sun. Whatever piece of the comet survived the Thanksgiving flyby of the sun is now dissipating in a cloud of dust. Click to view a 3-day movie centered on perihelion (closest approach to the sun):
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This development makes it unlikely that Comet ISON will put on a good show after it exits the glare of the sun in early December. Experienced astrophotohtaphers might be able to capture the comet's fading "ghost" in the pre-dawn sky, but a naked-eye spectacle can be ruled out.
On Nov. 29th, pilot Brian Whittaker tried to catch a first glimpse of Comet ISON from Earth, post-perihelion, from a plane flying 36,000 feet over the Arctic Circle in northern Canada. No luck:
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if you spent more time workin instead of following this friggin thing you'ld be rich ;D
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And if you spent less time on the computer you could have had my shirts done by now LOL
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Jimmmaaayy Whatsuprubberduck
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yea jimmy get them shirts done.......and quit foolin around
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Handy he forgets one thing I already have figured out in the last 12 years. RICH + Fishing lure business don't compute :)