Any ISON updates?

[AndyPandy]

http://spaceweather.com/images2013/28nov13/rip_anim5.gif?PHPSESSID=n8tm3uo5qrg8t7nknr65561bh2

Look at this

That is a brilliant animation. I would stress I am not an expert by any stretch but that looks to me like there's not much left of it after perihelion and all that emerges is the smear of it's scattered remains.

[Stu]

It has brightened up after this, once it was back in the view of the LASCO 3 camera, see this pic

Stu

[AndyPandy]

It has brightened up after this, once it was back in the view of the LASCO 3 camera, see this pic

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1385728753.336293.jpg

Stu

Yeah I was just looking at that. There is potential there by the looks of it, I guess it depends on exactly what is left. Perhaps we'll see some interesting things in December if there is a lot of dust and small fragments in its wake. Could still be some surprises in store and maybe forward scattering effects could play a part too. It seems this comet is an enigma even within the cometary conundrum!

[Paulhenry85]

Will it be best visible at dawn or dusk?

[Adrian]

One thing confusing me is that I understood comet tails should point away from the sun, but ISON's is clearly just trailing behind. What am I missing?

Stu

The tail is pushed by the solar wind, so generally streams away from the sun, however, what if the comet is travelling faster than the solar wind? The tail will still be behind the comet, won't it?

Around perihelion the velocities being thrown around were 500,000 - 1,000,000mph. How fast is the solar wind at the moment?

[Stu]

The tail is pushed by the solar wind, so generally streams away from the sun, however, what if the comet is travelling faster than the solar wind? The tail will still be behind the comet, won't it?

Around perihelion the velocities being thrown around were 500,000 - 1,000,000mph. How fast is the solar wind at the moment?

Thanks Adrian. I guess that makes sense, I've since seen a video from one of the other observatories and it clearly shows the tail spinning round to face away from the sun now that it has slowed after perihelion.

Stu

[AndyPandy]

You can think of somebody with long hair walking ever quicker towards a powerful fan, running around it then slowing to a walk again.

[nytecam]

Didn't C/Lovejoy do something similar to ISON on perihelion passage eg fade - it came good later in dawn skies down-under :-)

[Pig]

Ive read that it Ison has not died, is this the case ?

[Stu]

It's not dead, it's resting.....

Seems like at least a small nucleus has survived. Uncertain at the moment what that means in terms of its visibility over the next few days/week. Hopefully at least visible in binos.

Stu

[tenbyfifty]

It's not dead, it's resting.....

Seems like at least a small nucleus has survived. Uncertain at the moment what that means in terms of its visibility over the next few days/week. Hopefully at least visible in binos.

Stu

Its pining for the Oort !!

[nameunknown]

"A snowballs chance in hell" just took on a whole new meaning.  If it has survived, and makes it home, what a tale to tell....

P

[Paulhenry85]

It would seem it's not over till it's over and clear skies forecasted hopefully there's a chance to see what is left.

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25143861

[dazzauk83]

The word flying about now is that sadly comet ison has disintegrated.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS1atDL5p3Y

Untill it's officially confirmed ill still hold hope. But new images suggest you can see clearly it fades away.

[Beulah]

Looks like it to me. 

[Treeden]

The word flying about now is that sadly comet ison has disintegrated.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS1atDL5p3Y

Untill it's officially confirmed ill still hold hope. But new images suggest you can see clearly it fades away.

Looks like it to me. 

or maybe not.....?   

[Paulhenry85]

[Donkeiller]

On Thursday, Comet ISON was approaching the perihelion, the closest point to the Sun on its trajectory. Centuries ago, before the climate began to change, such a moment in the life of a comet would be an important event for the religious societies. However Comet ISON was largely destroyed. The experts are not quite sure about the cause but most of the researchers mention the global warming. The Solar System is being catastrophically heated up by the man-made emissions of CO2, especially by those produced by the corporations in countries with GDP per capita exceeding $20,000, particularly those countries which tolerate a larger number of the climate change deniers, heretics, and other contrarians.

[avtaram]

How does CO2 produced on earth have any effect on the SolarSystem as a whole ?

What difference does it make as to who produces CO2. CO2 is CO2 no matter how it is produced and by whom.

Avtar

[Treeden]

I think that one was better left unanswered.....

[iamjulian]

That right there is the funniest opinion I have ever read. Half of me hopes it is in jest, half of me loves that there are people out there with such interesting takes on life, the universe and everything made me smile anyway. Sorry ISON, too much CO2 in the atmosphere you did not interact with. Genius

[nytecam]

This composite pic tells the ISON story @ http://spaceweathergallery.com/indiv_upload.php?upload_id=90516&PHPSESSID=jdhalmd5knc5hucq67urekfoc1 so, barring a miracle, it's astro-imagers that may spy its journey Oort Cloud bound

ps: can we have one that doesn't get too near the sun next time please

[DrRobin]

I didn't know there was so much CO2 in space, oh hang on there isn't. You might as well blame it on Pluto being downgraded to a dwarf planet, threw a sulk and chucked a snowball at the sun.

Robin

[Knight of Clear Skies]

I'm fairly sure Donkeiller was joking. This being the internet - sometime abode of the crazy - you can never be quite sure, but a quick check of his post history shows sensible and helpful contributions.

[Andy_E]

A   would have been a helpful inclusion.