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Comet ISON update!


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Fun-killing fireshow-flunking ZOMBIE COMET ISON only LOOKED alive

An Epitaph for Ison on the Register.

"No one knows for sure what is inside that fan-shaped cloud. Possibilities include a small remnant nucleus or a "rubble pile" of furiously vaporising fragments," the site said.

 

"Experienced astrophotographers might be able to capture the comet's fading 'ghost' in the pre-dawn sky of early December, but a naked-eye spectacle is out of the question."

 

 

Sounds like a challenge to me!

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i

Did anyone on here see Halley last time it was here? I only had some 10X50's back then but after a number of nights out in the cold on the moors... I did finally get rewarded.

Hale Bopp was by far the best I've ever seen..... I've hard all about the 1976 comet West recently and seen some amazing images but have no idea why I never even knew about it.... Guess my dad wasn't interested at that time of his life... otherwise he'd have told me about it, after all I do remember him getting me to look at Kahoutec (73?) through his nelson style telescope at the time, I'm pretty sure I told him I could see it, but whether I was just pleasing him or I actually did see the 'blurry thing' it hasn't lodged itself in my memory!

 RIP ison.

Yes i did.

It was a great experience, I was a  beginner and  my first telescope was an special edition released for this event , is still in my equipmrent .

but after Halley i only saw Holmes  outburst.

I tried with other comets like ison but bad weather meke ot impossible.

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Although I think my chances of seeing it are slim...

2062 it's due back, isn't it?  I would be 95.  Could be tricky unless medical science has advanced to the point where I can get a full body transplant.

James

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not really, my nan lived to 103 and my grandad 102 :)

Don't think anyone in my family has lived anything like that long.  80-ish seems to be the best anyone has done so far.  Still, my parents are post retirement age and still gadding about as if they are in their thirties, so there's hope yet :)

James

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I would have to reach 100. I have several relatives who lived well into their 90s, and even one who reached 105. I might yet survive to see Halley (which I missed in 1986). I am rather more certain I will never see Hale-Bopp again: next perihelion estimated at AD 4385 :rolleyes:

You never know.  I heard a couple of years ago that some scientists who specialise in longevity research reckon that the first person to live to 1000 years old may well already be alive.  When you hear interviews with these people it's hard not to think "That man's a nutter!" mind :)

I think we might need to learn to spread out to the stars a little before we can contemplate living to 1000 myself.

James

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Hale-Bopp was the best naked eye for me.. skies were clear & I lived in a dark site in the Scottish Borders.. Fantastic sight, seemed to be there for ages.

Halley's was a big disappointment, I had been so looking forward to it. Looks like I'll have to wait 2 years after getting the Quee.. err Kings Telegram before the next chance then.. :sad:

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I remember my Dad telling me that I'd be 72 before I'd see Halley's comet again.

I said to him, "I'm not seeing it this time!"

Think I got a thick ear for that...

The mid-90s double-act of Hyakutake and Hale-Bopp remain my best brushes with comets. I'm sure another one will come along soon - it's kind of inevitable! And Lovejoy's been pretty good!

DD

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i saw Halley in 86 from what is now my sons bedroom window. i still have the book guide with the "pop up" card stand showing where it would be in the sky. i parted with the Tasco 4" reflector a few years ago that i viewed it with.i have very fond memories of that winter searching for Halley, the "KING" of all comets in my opinion. such an historical object depicted through history and an honour to join the list of witnesses! it does not matter how bright comets are that i view in the future nothing will match Halleys majesty!

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Maths wasn't your Dad's strongest point so :smiley:

Ah... It would appear my Maths is wrong. I'll be 79/80 in 2061 when it comes round again. I'd love to say it's been a long day but I had a free lunch so have no excuse...

Incidentally, my Dad is a retired Chemist and is, by his own admission, awful at Maths. He was quite proud of the fact!

DD

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Halleys comet...

My experience with that one...i remember it well. I was only 11, but very much into science and astronomy. I lived in Saudi Arabia at the time, so it was very dark and perfect to see it. The class decided to go on an overnight camping trip to the desert in order to see teh comet and i was obviously very excited. One of the very rich girls in our class brought her big telescope with her for the class to use. Anyway, long story short, i knew where to look, the teacher and the girl didn't, and we ended up looking at a nebula of some sort (cant remmeber which one it was) while they all ignored my calls to look lower down on the horizon... So, a once in a lifetime chance to see it and didn't get to 'cuz the rich b*tch in the class and my stupid teachers would not listen to me.....

Then i found myself in the centre of the 1999 total eclipse which i had waited years for and it was cloudy....and now ISON... 

Don't hang around me if you want to do good astronomy is the lesson learned here...

Marc

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Can we please stop all this talk about living to be a hundred-and-something.

The government might be reading this thread thinking "mmm, better start planning to move the state pension age to 90".  Whereas I was really hoping that retirement would be a good opportunity to stargaze.

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Actually, I think we'll need to live longer to have any chance of seeing that "once in a lifetime" comet.... :)

Hehee

Nah, I've seen lots of spectacular visual comets in MY CENTURY (starting with Arend-Roland as I said earlier)

but thisonISON comes high on the list simply because of the technology allowing us to watch its spectacular demise , , that I should live long enough in the electronics, telecommunications and spacecraft industry to, , , a privilege , ,

"hundred-and-something"

Yep, working on it, as some wag once said -" I'm immortal, errr, well so far so good "

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Hmm, I remember seeing Halley in 86, a real disappointment but I was struggling with the sort of equipment I could afford at the time.  It never occurred to me at the time that I might be around to see it again; I'd just about got my head around the fact that I'd be in my 30s for the 1999 eclipse.

Since then, my grandfather managed to clock up 100 years and my dad is still going strong as he approaches 80, so perhaps it's not unrealistic to think I might make it to 2062 when I'll be a mere 95.

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