Ison questions

[keeplookingup]

yea more of these.

Actually the crew wants to go out and push our luck to catch this long awaited object. Right now it seems a bit dreary to rely on its survival. But we can always hope right?

Anyway  I got some general questions about comets  and I figured it was a good place to ask. 

Location: Beijing

1. If ISON surives perihelion it will only be a morning object? Any chance of at sunset?

2. The crew is suggesting going out on Saturday night( November 30th-December 1st). This is just 2 days after perihelion. Is this a good time to possibly catch it? Or is there far too little separation?

Since there are many considering going out or this, I would like to have more information.

Thanks and clear skies for all.

[Cygnus_X1]

Comet ISON will also be an evening object from November 29th. In fact on the 29th itself it is better placed in the evening than it is in the morning. After that, it remains both an evening object and a morning object...however in the morning it rises rapidly higher above the horizon whereas in the evening it remains close to the horizon right up until mid December.

It would be well worth having a look for ISON both in the morning and the evening of the 29th. Though it may be a good deal fainter by the evening, it will be further from the sun and should have a longer tail.

[keeplookingup]

I had imagined that it was both morning and evening. 

So without a doubt worth going to see on 30th-1st.  

I am going to get lucky tonight. I should be able to get a look at Lovejoy. We are heaving heavy winds right now and that blows all the rubbish out of the city. 

And 3 years ago I moved to the suburbs.

thank you

[Nakedgun]

ISON? Maybe not: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/home/Comet-ISON-Becomes-a-Nail-Biter-233327541.html

[keeplookingup]

yea it could be a dud.  One can only hope for the best and prepare for the worst and accept all in between

[Stu]

These are the predicted positions on morning and evening of 4th December from SkySafari. I would think morning would be easier as it should be higher above the horizon but worth trying both.

Stu

[keeplookingup]

the day after perihelion is a good or bad choice to go out to see it? I did a run with stellarium on for the night of 30th-1st and appears that it will be very very low in the east until about the 4-5th.

My instinct tells me that this isn't a good choice for our party. I think the 8th is better.

but personally speaking, I will try to get up and view every night once it passes the sun

Just seeking advice on the best day to have a party

[Stu]

I guess it is worth keeping an eye out from 30th, just in case, but most comments seem to be that 3rd at the earliest, with 4th or 5th probably being best for brightness vs distance from the sun before it rises.

Stu

[keeplookingup]

this is what i didn't want to hear. but i was rather suspecting it. Since I never chased a comet before, there is too much to know. 

After playing with stellarium again I can tell its going to be blocked out by the sun.  Just a few more days. Damn it. Almost a perfect weekend.

We're planning to go to a dark site up in the mountains and finding the best eastern horizon view has been tough. Thankfully Google earth has decent elevation displays.  

But it still seems to be way too close to the sun on that day and will be way short lived if it makes it.

Fortunately, I can go out each night but it will have to be in the suburbs here and I think that will not make much difference if it is a beauty.  

Thanks 

- D

[Cygnus_X1]

the day after perihelion is a good or bad choice to go out to see it? I did a run with stellarium on for the night of 30th-1st and appears that it will be very very low in the east until about the 4-5th.

My instinct tells me that this isn't a good choice for our party. I think the 8th is better.

but personally speaking, I will try to get up and view every night once it passes the sun

Just seeking advice on the best day to have a party

By the 8th, comet ISON may well have faded to 4th magnitude. After rounding the sun, it fades quite rapidly. The 8th is 10 days after perihelion, during which it will fade from possibly magnitude -5 or brighter down to magnitude 4....that's a decrease of 4,000 times in brightness.

Ideally one wants the perfect balance between the brightness of the comet and the brightness of the sky, which would be some days earlier than the 8th. But the main thing to bear in mind is that although the nucleus may be close to the sun for several days after perihelion, the tail may be bright and even by the evening of November 29th could extend over 10 degrees and not fully set below the evening horizon until an hour after sunset. If the tail reaches 15 degrees or so later that day, then by the morning of November 30th the end of the tail could be rising up to an hour and a half before sunrise !

That is why I think that those who wait until December 3rd or even later...may well miss the best of comet ISON.

[keeplookingup]

i suspect this as well but a sungrazer was never on my list of things to see. So ok we will go. but its gonna be really cold. haha

[keeplookingup]

and thanks a bunch. that helps. its now 221 am and im just about to head out to view the morning sky before i fall asleep at my computer.

cheers