Did Comet ISON survive? Scientists see tiny hope

AP via Washington Post ^ | November 29, 2013 | Associated Press

[Brad from Tennessee]

STOCKHOLM — A comet that gained an earthly following because of its bright tail visible from space was initially declared dead after essentially grazing the sun. Now, there is a silver of hope that Comet ISON may have survived.

New images, basically faint smudges on a screen, being analyzed Friday showed a streak of light moving away from the sun that some said could indicate it wasn’t game over just yet.

“It certainly appears as if there is an object there that is emitting material,” said Alan Fitzsimmons, an astronomer at Queens University in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Basically a dirty snowball from the fringes of the solar system, scientists had pronounced Comet ISON dead when it came within 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) of the sun Thursday.

Some sky gazers speculated early on that it might become the comet of the century because of its brightness, although expectations dimmed over time. But it wouldn’t be all bad news if the 4.5-billion-year-old space rock broke up into pieces, because some scientists say they might be able to study them and learn more about comets.

[Dalberg-Acton]

No longer a threat to life on Earth? That’s a good thing.

[C210N]

Now, there is a silver of hope that Comet ISON may have survived...

Would ISON be eligible for 0bamacare? Perhaps with a subsidy? Some enterprising navigator should enroll.... it.

[Cringing Negativism Network]

I think this comet is still on, 100%.

We shall know in a few days.

[bigbob]

“I’m not dead yet!”

[FreedomStar3028]

It’s definitely there. Here it is. moving away from the sun.

http://files.abovetopsecret.com/files/img/cz5298c139.gif

[Cringing Negativism Network]

Wow, that’s about 12 more hours of photographic proof, then I had seen before.

Outstanding. Almost great.

Thank you much.

[DCBryan1]

"The chances that LUCIFER's HAMMER Comet ISON would hit the Earth head on were one in a billion....
then it was one in a million.....
then one in a thousand.....
then one in a hundred.....
and then......"

/Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle

[SamAdams76]

Give it up, comet hounds. Every big comet has been a dud in modern times. And I have to say that due to lack of photographic evidence, comets of earlier times were greatly exaggerated. Personally, I think comets are a cosmic equivalent to the Great Pumpkin in Linus' pumpkin patch. Every time some supposed comet is due to dominate our skies and give us a spectacular show, it fizzles out and nothing every comes of it.

We will likely never see a major comet event in our lifetimes and neither will our future generations. Let's just give up on this whole "comet" business and focus on things that are more likely to actually happen.

Please, I don't want to hear stories of how you packed up your kids in the middle of the night and drove 87 miles west of civilization so you could spot Hale-Bopp with the naked eye. I also don't want to be reminded of the much ballyhooed Comet Kahoutek of 1973 - that was a dud as well.

[Standing Wolf]

Basically a dirty snowball from the fringes of the solar system, scientists had pronounced Comet ISON dead when it came within 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) of the sun Thursday.

I avoid kilometers like the plague. Realistically speaking, the French so-called "metric" system is for people who are stuck with doing arithmetic on this many fingers.

[wku man]

" Every big comet has been a dud in modern times."

Yep! So we never have to worry about it ever again, because it's never happened in our lifetime. I mean, if it's not on You Tube, it never happened, right? /s

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

[Bryanw92]

Is this the one that supposed to be “brighter than the moon”?

[Jack Hydrazine]

What is Bones McCoy’s diagnosis?

[Bryanw92]

>>Give it up, comet hounds. Every big comet has been a dud in modern times. And I have to say that due to lack of photographic evidence, comets of earlier times were greatly exaggerated.

I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks that. My grandfather and great-grandfather regaled me with tales of Halley’s Comet in 1910 and how it lit up the sky as it flashed across from horizon to horizon.

So, when it finally showed up again in 1986, I was quite disappointed as it just sat there, barely visible, with almost no tail.

I put comet stories up there with those old guy stories about how they shot a 45 automatic “back in the war” and “the kick dang near broke my arm off!” Just smile and agree with them.

[SamAdams76]

Not only not found on YouTube but nothing on Wikipedia either.

[VanDeKoik]

I’ll admit I didn’t pack any kids up, or dive anywhere as I was a teenager, and I also lived in the city with tons of glare from a nearby shopping strip. But Hale-Bopp didn’t need a really dark sky to be seen with the naked eye. And I also dont remember anyone calling it a dud.

There have also been many really good comets over the past 10 years, it’s just that 99% of them are almost always best viewed from south of the equator.

[FreedomStar3028]

No problem, ATS is good for space stuff, but there are a metric ton of kooks there.

[Dalberg-Acton]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C/2012_S1

[Windflier]

I avoid kilometers like the plague. Realistically speaking, the French so-called "metric" system is for people who are stuck with doing arithmetic on this many fingers.

I cringe every time I hear some American describing something in meters.

[wku man]

Yep...so we can all relax. A comet, asteroid or meteor will never strike Earth. Ever...'cause it's never happened in our lifetime. Oh yeah, same goes for Yellowstone. It will never, ever erupt ever again, because it hasn't done so for 600,000 years. /s

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!