Comet Ison

Posted by: Mike-B on 23 November 2013

If we're lucky we could see one of the best comet viewing for many years.

 

It’s hoped Comet Ison will make its appearance from 3 December

It’s a northern hemisphere morning comet – seen toward the eastern horizon in the early hours & during dawn.

 

 

Ison is a bit special is that it is a "sungrazer" passing thru the suns corona.

It's not known exactly what effect the great heat and gravitational force of our Sun will have on the comet & it might be destroyed, or it might make it & make its appearance around 1 Dec. The boffins can’t make their minds up,  its mass & trajectory are very borderline.

 

The outcome we are all hoping for is the suns heat activates the gases in its nucleus & this will result in a huge tail & it could be one of the most spectacular for many years. 

Posted on: 23 November 2013 by JamieWednesday

Genuinely can't wait. Will hope for one or two clear early mornings to catch it

Posted on: 23 November 2013 by fatcat

I'll definitely be getting up to have a look at that.

 

Genuinely exited, always wondered what "before sunrise" looks like.

Posted on: 26 November 2013 by Mike-B

Greetings to all Naim sun grazers

 

Ison is on track for the big show or its destruction

The pictures shows were it is today

Its due to shoot past - or disappear into - the sun on 28 Nov

At the moment its travelling at >371,000kph - >230,000mph

Max speed as it swings past the sun will be around 1,360,000kph - 845,000mph

 

Posted on: 28 November 2013 by Blueknowz

Destroyed by the heat from passing by the Sun

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/scie...environment-25143861

Posted on: 28 November 2013 by joerand

Yes, I just heard. Like the fate of so many turkeys in the US today, Comet ISON is no more .

Posted on: 28 November 2013 by Kevin-W
Originally Posted by joerand:

Yes, I just heard. Like the fate of so many turkeys in the US today, Comet ISON is no more .

But according to the BBC News this morning, all might not be lost - it may be back...

Posted on: 29 November 2013 by Mike-B

I was just looking at the NASA www pictures who show something emerging after the slingshot pass.  Its not clearly ID'd & assessed but it for sure looks like either some debris/remains or the seriously reduced in size comet.

We will know more in a next few hours,  but as it looks right now it will not be the big show we all hoped for.  

 

Posted on: 29 November 2013 by joerand

Good news, Mike-B!

Glad to see my tax dollars are keeping you so well-informed

 

 

Posted on: 29 November 2013 by fatcat

Pity, I was hoping to get a few photos .

 

I know it's about a meteor, but this track seems quite apt.

 

Posted on: 29 November 2013 by Mike-B

This is a composite photo of Ison tracking towards & away from the sun

Looks like something made it all the way around,  the jury is still out how much remains & what kind of show we will get to see.  

 

Posted on: 29 November 2013 by Jasonf

Good thread Mike!

 

Jason.

Posted on: 02 December 2013 by Mike-B

It looks like it’s all over folks .........  as of yesterday Ison appeared so dim that scientists feel the encounter with the sun must have disintegrated the icy nucleus and what was visible in the above pic is probably just debris with whats left of the remaining ice sublimating out to form a small tail.  If that is the case,  then whatever tail that it might have will be so small & will disappear so quickly it will probably be hard to see even with a pro level scope.

So it seems the hope of seeing a spectacle unmatched for many years has come to an end. If anything changes & we are able to see something I will post some more.