(Image: E. Guido, G. Sostero, N. Howes)
Posted on 09/26/2012 6:29:10 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok, of the International Scientific Optical Network (ISON) in Russia, discovered comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) on 21 September via images taken with a 40-centimetre reflecting telescope. Other sky-watchers soon spotted it, and the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, announced the find yesterday.
From the combined observations, astronomers were able to trace the comet's recent path and find images of it dating back to late December 2011. From there they calculated a near-parabolic orbit that has comet ISON headed almost straight towards the sun.
Astronomers at the Remanzacco Observatory in Italy think that ISON will skim less than 1.4 million kilometres from the sun's surface on 28 or 29 November...
As with Lulin, the intense heat of ISON's solar fly-by should vaporise the comet's hard shell of pristine ices, releasing trapped dust that would help it grow an exceptionally bright tail. Astronomy Now magazine reports that comet ISON could even be brighter than the full moon around its closest approach to the sun.
Skirting our star means that, to viewers on Earth, the comet will appear close to the horizon and to the sun's glare, making it difficult to see at first. ISON will fade but become easier to spot as it heads back towards the outer solar system. By 9 December it should be about as bright as Polaris, the North Star, according to Remanzacco Observatory astronomers. ISON should continue to be visible to the unaided eye until mid-January 2014.
But veteran astronomers warn that fresh comets with orbits that almost skim the sun are notoriously unpredictable. Results can range from the spectacular comet McNaught of January 2007 to the infamously fizzled comet Kohoutek of 1973.
(Excerpt) Read more at newscientist.com ...
(Image: E. Guido, G. Sostero, N. Howes)
I’m hoping for a good comet.
I'm just hoping there isn't the same plague of Apocalyptikook idiots like there was for Comet Elenin.
The Mayan calender end of the world comet! ;-)
Take a look at my FReeper birthday.
I’m one of the FReepers of the Apocalypse.
Exactly. Regarding the kookery, here are the two comments, one with a link.
SewerRat on September 26, 2012 5:51 AM
Let me guess, the conspiracy theorist boys have got it intersecting Earth’s orbit on December 20th.
sojkovec on September 26, 2012 11:41 AM
In fact, trajectory of this comet will not intersect Earth orbit’s trajectory at all, according to this pic:
http://o.canada.com/2012/09/25/will-we-have-a-christmas-comet-in-2013/
I am old enough to remember Kohoutek in 1973, and Halley in 1985, plus a few other sky-smudges that were oversold prior to their actual visibility. (Kohoutek was not even visible from North America if I remember correctly). These guys always say it will be visible by day, outshine the moon, etc. Then it turns out to be crap. Just like Obama.
That would be amazing!
I saw Halley Bop in zero light pollution in the desert at Ft Irwin.
I filmed it with night vision which increased the length of the tail 5 fold.
Then the unexpected happened.
I caught a shooting star bisecting the tail!
To bad it’s on VHS C
It’ll be interesting to see what happens when it gets that close to the sun
LOL!
ping
Maybe it’s actually......Planet X.
For 2.3 seconds, Stevie.
"Mama always told me not to look into the eyes of the sun..."
I may hit the lotto.
Gee doesn’t that thing have to be lined up? That calls for neck breaking skills.
When the Jews return to Zion
And a comet rips the sky
And the Holy Roman Empire caliphate rises,
Then you and I must die.
From the eternal sea (politics) he rises,
Creating armies on either shore,
Turning man against his brother
'Til man exists no more.
It is possible that this might refer to the Catholic church rising up against obama's ultimatum, but to me it seems larger than that. When this was written, no one foresaw a mohammedan caliphate as a danger since mohammed had not been born yet. NOW we see that it has become the biggest danger to civilization that has ever existed and it covers the world.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
