Is anyone else _not_ disappointed by ISON

[Treeden]

Anytime you see a tagline "of the century" disappointment will soon follow.

 Apart from this one perhaps?

 One of my favourites.

[bish]

I had no real expectations for it. When you hear of a comet that is predicted to be as bright as the moon nearly a year in advance you don't really hold your breath. It's been quite interesting but a shame that panSTARRS and Lovejoy haven't had the same publicity (although PanSTARRS was in the news if I remember correctly)

[tenbyfifty]

 Apart from this one perhaps?

 One of my favourites.

mine too - steve howe is a big guitar hero of mine.

they don't make bands like that anymore.

just showing some solidarity with a fellow 'Yes' fan.

[Paul M]

I too enjoyed the on-line imagery of it's demise.

Luckily I never expected much from it and had emotionally written it off weeks before its encounter with the Sun.

Those newcomers who were attracted by the hype may like to take comfort from the current Lovejoy offering. It's a fine example of a binocular comet that is there night after night just quietly doing its thing.

Tracking it down and following it's journey is a great way to learn your way round the constellations.

[asset189]

initially dissapointed by the poor visual spectacle after all the build up, i could not help but be awstruck and that is a fitting word in this instance, by the journey ison had made to finally arrive at the sun.

The distances and time scales involved are simply staggering and the final speeds quoted around 800,000 miles per hour are simply mind blowing. Add in the imagery from NASA the video of its majestic high speed final approach to the sun. The reports of its firey demise at perihelion, then like a, pheonix last weekend , the whispers of survival , more video of apparent survival and return for its close encounter with our sun , spending  most of last saturday night half sleeping , half waking checking for updates across the internet but mainly on here, only to have my hopes finally dashed by one last video clip from the solar observatory showing a burst of solar energy blow away the remnants of the comet. Yes underachieving, but at the same time exhausting , exhilarating and ....wow,  what a ride.

Am i dissapointed ? hell no

[Paul M]

I imagine that if it hadn't been for the spacecraft imagery around perihelion, ISON would have been just a very, very average comet that just never made through to the other side.

This wasn't an observers comet but it certainly roused the masses!

It'll be interesting to see if anyone picks up any remnants as they climb higher into the dawn sky. Shirley there must be some dregs left?

[Lancashire Astroguy]

Panstarrs, whom a lot of people were calling Pant stars and itself was only discovered in June 2011 was a brilliant comet and wished I'd taken even more time over her last spring.

I agree that PanStarrs was a pretty decent comet - even though it didn't quite live up to expectations it did at least reach magnitude 3 and the tail was clearly visible to the naked eye. I too wish I'd spent longer observing it, but I think like most people I was too excited by the predictions about ISON. I mean, why bother with a third magnitude comet, when a magnitude -18 comet is on its way?

I guess the moral of this story is enjoy any comet you can get - especially a naked-eye one. You never know when the next one will come, whatever the predictions say!

[tenbyfifty]

If comets are so unpredictable surely its meaningless to describe something as the 'comet

of the century' months in advance - perhaps professional astronomers should do a bit more

to rein in public and media expectations with this type of event.