Approaching comet may outshine the moon

Reuters ^ | Fri Dec 28, 2012 5:28pm EST | Irene Klotz

[Olog-hai]

A comet blazing toward Earth could outshine the full moon when it passes by at the end of next year—if it survives its close encounter with the sun.

The recently discovered object, known as comet ISON, is due to fly within 1.2 million miles (1.9 million km) from the center of the sun on Nov. 28, 2013 said astronomer Donald Yeomans, head of NASA’s Near Earth Object Program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

As the comet approaches, heat from the sun will vaporize ices in its body, creating what could be a spectacular tail that is visible in Earth’s night sky without telescopes or even binoculars from about October 2013 through January 2014. …

[who knows what evil?]

Hale-Bopp was clearly visible to the naked eye back around 1997...

[Rebelbase]

“Question..this comet is supposed to pass very near that earth..inside the orbit of some satellites............with the meld off and possible breaking off of parts on this comet. .is it orbital path still predictable or may it be altered to some degree?”

Worst case scenario:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNtsVP42bOE

[zeugma]

.is it orbital path still predictable or may it be altered to some degree?

Somewhat predictable, but not entirely due to its close pass by the sun. It could well break up into multiple fragments.

Like another poster, I'd give serious money if we could redirect this to DC. Even better if we could get it to beak into a few pieces, and hit DC, LA, NYC.

[Jack Hydrazine]

Didn’t anyone see, “Night Of The Comet” (1984)?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6dOoyghxb0

[Yosemitest]

A SIGN of the TIMES ?

Watch video Comet C/2012 SI (ISON) How bright will it get? .


Comet ISON C/2012 S1 Orbit

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

****Didn’t anyone see, “Night Of The Comet” (1984)?***

“Daddy would have given us UZIs!”

[SunkenCiv]

• Newly spotted comet may outshine the full moon

  09/26/2012 6:29:10 PM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 89 replies

  New Scientist ^ | Tuesday, September 25, 2012 | Jeff Hecht

  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...

• Newfound Comet Could Look Spectacular in 2013 ( Comet ISON )

  12/27/2012 6:32:20 AM PST · by Las Vegas Dave · 16 replies

  space.com ^ | 25 September 2012 | Joe Rao

  A newly discovered comet has the potential to put on a dazzling celestial display late next year, when it will be so bright you may be able to see it briefly in the daytime sky. The discovery of the object named Comet ISON was announced Monday (Sept. 24) by Russians Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok, who detected it in photographs taken three days earlier using a 15.7-inch (0.4-meter) reflecting telescope of the International Scientific Optical Network (ISON), near Kislovodsk. The new comet is officially known as C/2012 S1. When first sighted, Comet ISON was 625 million miles (1 billion kilometers)...

• New Comet Discovered—May Become "One of Brightest in History" (outshine the moon)

  09/28/2012 1:20:52 PM PDT · by NYer · 24 replies

  National Geographic ^ | September 27, 2012 | Andrew Fazekas

  Sky-watchers in Australia ogle comet Lovejoy late last year. If astronomers' early predictions hold true, the holidays next year may hold a glowing gift for stargazers—a superbright comet, just discovered streaking near Saturn.Even with powerful telescopes, comet 2012 S1 (ISON) is now just a faint glow in the constellation Cancer. But the ball of ice and rocks might become visible to the naked eye for a few months in late 2013 and early 2014—perhaps outshining the moon, astronomers say.The comet is already remarkably bright, given how far it is from the sun, astronomer Raminder Singh Samra said. What's more, 2012...

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Olog-hai. Extra ping to APoD members, a few links above.

[Democrat_media]

“I hope a small chunk of it lands in Washington DC.”

if that small chunk is around 3 miles in diameter then that would work for me

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks .

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[ops33]

Sounds like Hale-Bopp, 1995.

[ResponseAbility]

That was Comet Hyakutake. I did the same thing as well. The tail took up a third of the sky from a vantage point high in the mountains.

[Squawk 8888]

I was really excited to see it at dusk- until I realized I was looking at a vapour trail.

[Mr. K]

it was pretty amazing- i expected to be small with a tail maybe half the size of the moon- I never expected to see it so huge- but I had to go far from the city to see it. It was so spectacular I drove home to get the kids to come out to see.

[TheOldLady]

The world failed to end on 12/21/12, so all the things that were going to happen in 2013 are now back in the news.