ISON outburst

[glenc]

Comet Lovejoy was larger and fainter than Comet ISON this morning in my 16" scope.
They both have faint tails about 30' long.
ISON looked like 47 Tuc but seemed to be brighter than the GC.
Both comets are easy objects in a 50mm finder.
I also saw the shadow of Callisto on Jupiter this morning.

More ISON info at http://www.mattastro.com/ison/
Nov 14, 12.2 UT: Comet is definitely in "outburst"! It should be naked eye visible NOW! http://brucegary.net/ISON/
Mag and Diam http://www.icq.eps.harvard.edu/CometMags.html#2012S1

[glenc]

SpaceWeather.com (http://spaceweather.com/) is reporting today (November 14, 2013) that Comet ISON brightened substantially last night (November 13, 2013) and is it now nearing the threshold of visibility.
http://earthsky.org/space/comet-ison-has-an-outburst

Apparently, Comet ISON has surged in brightness by approximately 2 magnitudes in little more than 24 hours. If the trend continues, it could be a faint but easy naked-eye object by the end of the week.
http://spaceweather.com/

[ourkind]

Cool thanks for the updates! Hopefully these clear skies will endure!!

[Suzy]

Thanks for the report Glen :thumbsup:.

Some are saying they've seen it's visible now naked eye from a dark site. And yep, an easy catch in binos. It's good to get a comparison with Lovejoy.

The skies have finally cleared here after a week of storms. I think I have some nice big sucker holes to work with so I'll be taking a drive down the road to a flat horizon in about an hour an half (nearly 2am here, yikes, I should be napping lol).

[pmrid]

Hope you spotted it Suzy. I just went out (3.30 and again at 4) without success. It's only about 10-12 degrees up at the moment and ISON is on the edge of the morning mist and general eastern-sky gunge. I'll try again on Monday morning when the comet and Spica should both be in the same FOV of my 10x50s at about 4 a.m..


Peter

[glenc]

"November 15: ISON's awakening continues. This morning observers are estimating it at 5th magnitude. It's a popsicle: with a round, sharp-edged, bright green head and a long, narrow, dim tail."
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/community/skyblog/observingblog/Comet-ISON-Updates-193909261.html

Images http://www.skyandtelescope.com/community/gallery/skyevents/228217711.html

[astroron]

I was only about 10 kms from you Peter and saw nothing as the mist and Gunge rolled across the hills in the east of Somerset Dam.:mad2:
Completely fogged out and drove back to Kilcoy in a pea supper.
Cheers:thumbsup:

[Suzy]

Thanks Glen.
Terry puts it approx. mag 5 now too.

Peter, oh yes, I did see it in my 10x60 binos- albeit for no more than 30 seconds before it got consumed by cloud. Tom Harradine, Terry Lovejoy and I were all looking thru the same sucker hole at same time it seems :lol:.
I want to get more viewing this morning, so here's hoping. That was such a tease grrrr!

I hope you get to see it this morning too Peter. :)

Exciting times- Look what just came out this morning from Damian Peach in the U.K. Crickey and mega *eyepop* just look at all those tails and detail!

:prey2::prey2::prey2:

151800

It's just like those ancient drawings of broom comets isn't it!

[glenc]

This morning Comet ISON is about mag 6. I compared it to two out of focus mag 5.6 and 6.3 stars using 20x80 binoculars.
The moonlight makes it seem fainter than two days ago, maybe it is.

COMET C/2012 S1 (ISON) Total-magnitude and coma-diameter estimates (visual unless otherwise noted): 2013
Nov. 14.52, 5.7, 2' (Carl Hergenrother, Tucson, AZ, U.S.A., 10x50 binoculars);
Nov. 14.41, 5.4, 5' (John Bortle, Stormville, NY, 15x70 binoculars);
http://www.icq.eps.harvard.edu/CometMags.html#2012S1

[gary]

Thanks for the reports Glen.

[tonybarry]

This I want to see ... now if some kind person can converse with Higher Authority and get them to move the clouds ...

Regards,
Tony Barry

[icytailmark]

is it possible is see the comet with the naked eye just before sunrise?

[glenc]

No

[Geoff Ring]

Assuming comet ISON continues to brighten will it be possible to see it with the naked eye from Perth. When would be the best time to look, and near what stars? Thank you.

[noeyedeer]

hi Geoff
it would have to brighten considerably to be seen naked eye, especially at it's altitude and with twilight. better grab a set of binos or a scope. I've given up with the weather lately though tonight is clear I might stay up and see if the 12x50s can spot it.

at 430 it sits here from Perth .. probably from 330 I would be hunting for it as it rises ... but with aid from binoculars or a scope.

good luck!

matt

ps I don't know if Perth is daylight saving time or not so that was gmt +8

[noeyedeer]

I tried looking just then to no avail. Spica was visable, just, there's a street light in that direction so I had no chance to see ISON :( and gave up. if only I could use the balcony.

least I had a squiz at mars. looking forward to pics that will come. hopefully a massive outburst will happen before it disappears... which is doubtful

matt

[Geoff Ring]

at 430 it sits here from Perth .. probably from 330 I would be hunting for it as it rises ... but with aid from binoculars or a scope.

good luck!

matt

ps I don't know if Perth is daylight saving time or not so that was gmt +8[/QUOTE]


Thanks Matt! Fingers Crossed for ISON. GMT +8 is correct. No Daylight Saving here. The cows have the vote :-)

[Suzy]

It's had another outburst. It went from around mag 5 last weekend to now reports at mag 3.7 to high 3's.

It was an easy catch on the 21st November in my binos observing it right under a street light, thru light pollution, with the big moon out and in twilight :D. No kidding!
I've done a comprehensive observing report here:
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?p=1035745#post103574 5


Matt: In moonlight and twilight, I doubt very much if ISON will be naked eye- even in high 3's mag. It's very close to the sun right now so it basically rides alongside twilight time. Try for 3.30am just before the sky starts to brighten too much, from a dark site, and maybe, but I wouldn't count on it I don't think. The only reports I've seen have been "maybe they thought they saw something but wouldn't put money on it" responses.
I help to admin a comet group on facebook, if anyone wants to join in the group, send me a pm.

[glenc]

Thanks Suzy

Anticipated STEREO observations of Comet ISON
http://stereo-ssc.nascom.nasa.gov/comet_ison/

[Suzy]

Glen, check out the latest movie from STEREO-A showing both comets. It's beyond awesome!
I've just popped it on a thread here:
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?p=1035999#post103599 9

[glenc]

The SOHO LASCO C3 camera shows an 8 degree radius around the Sun.
At 1pm AEDT today ISON will be 7.9 degrees from the Sun so it should be visible in this camera.
http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime/c3/512/
At 5pm AEDT today Wed ISON will be 7.4 deg from the Sun.
On the 29th Nov at 5:38 am AEDT ISON will be 0.5 deg from the Sun, its closest approach.
See also http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime/c2/512/

[cometcatcher]

Am looking forward to the Lasco 3 movies that can be made from this.

[glenc]

The C3 image at 1:41 UT shows ISON on the far right, Antares and M4 on the lower left. It also shows a massive loop coming off the Sun.
http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime/c3/512/

[cometcatcher]

That will shake up the comet.

[noeyedeer]

hi Suzy, I tried with the 12x50 binos that morning but the street light across the road was in my direct line of sight.

some interesting stuff from all these other images thou.

matt

[glenc]

Here is the stereo movie of ISON and Encke crossing paths.
http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/nasas-stereo-shows-comet-ison-approaching-the-sun/

[glenc]

This is the SOHO C3 image of ISON at 16:18 UT on 27 Nov. (3:18 am Thu 28th AEDT)
Antares and the globular M4 are at lower left. The size of the spike on the comet suggests it is brighter than mag 1.1 Antares.
ISON's tail is at least 3 degrees long. The white circle is the Sun and the field diameter is 16 degrees.

[glenc]

At 00:42 UT on 28 Nov the tail was about 3.7 degrees long in the SOHO C3 image.

[SkyViking]

ISON looks massive in the current SOHO C3 image! It's brightening rapidly, visible with every image update.

[glenc]

Comet ISON at 15:37 UT on 28 Nov as seen by SOHO C3.

[glenc]

It looks like ISON is failing. 17:40 UT, STEREO C2

[glenc]

If you look at the C3 movie ISON fades at about 13:30 UT.

[glend]

The BBC is reporting that ISON has been destroyed on its pass of the Sun.

[bkm2304]

Of course it has! It was doomed from the moment somebody called it the "COMET OF THE CENTURY"!:sad::sad:

Richard

[glenc]

Here is a SOHO C2 image from 22:24 UT.
The comet (top left) is very faint after passing the Sun.

[glenc]

"Continuing a history of surprising behavior, material from Comet ISON appeared on the other side of the sun on the evening on Nov. 28, 2013, despite not having been seen in observations during its closest approach to the sun. As ISON appeared to dim and fizzle in several observatories and later could not be seen at all by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory or by ground based solar observatories, many scientists believed it had disintegrated completely. However, a streak of bright material streaming away from the sun appeared in the European Space Agency and NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory later in the evening. The question remains whether it is merely debris from the comet, or if some portion of the comet's nucleus survived, but late-night analysis from scientists with NASA's Comet ISON Observing Campaign suggest that there is at least a small nucleus intact."
http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/comet-ison-may-have-survived/index.html

[glenc]

"The great question: is that bright thing just a cloud of dust and very fine rubble, soon to disperse? Or will it hold together along the comet's orbit long enough to be seen when it moves far enough from the Sun to be seen from Earth? And do big chunks remain within it that can keep shedding the stuff of a coma and tail in proper comet fashion? "
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/community/skyblog/observingblog/Comet-ISON-Updates-193909261.html

[glenc]

Try LASCO C3 and n=300 for a movie of ISON's decay
Note the spikes off the comet when it is bright.
http://sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/soho_movie_theater