* The Official Astronomy & Universe Thread *

NeilF · 28 Nov 2013 at 19:11

So not looking promising then... No sign of it yet

Tibbz2 · 28 Nov 2013 at 20:23

Yup, ISON is gone

RIP

NeilF · 28 Nov 2013 at 20:24

Such a shame

timmyp25 · 28 Nov 2013 at 20:48

Possible fragment of Ison showing on the latest images.......

SlyReaper · 28 Nov 2013 at 23:30

Today happens to be my birthday. I've pretty much ignored it and allowed it to pass unmarked. But as things go, if I have to mark the glorious anniversary of my entrance into this world, I can think of worse ways than to observe the final moments of a heavenly body like Comet Ison.

da_ging · 29 Nov 2013 at 00:36

hmm what ever remains is actually getting brighter, still doesn't look very good though

EDIT- talk now of there being a nucleus so maybe a small glimmer of hope for something to see in a few days time http://www.isoncampaign.org/karl/schroedingers-comet

http://helioviewer.org/?date=2013-1...te-light,2,100]&eventLayers=&eventLabels=true

Cosimo · 29 Nov 2013 at 08:17

So very disappointed.

Marine Iguana · 29 Nov 2013 at 08:41

Cosimo said:
So very disappointed.

Same here.

Martytoon · 29 Nov 2013 at 12:42

I thought I'd try here first, rather than start a new thread in GD.

My 12 year old over the last few months has started to take a real interest in space. The questions are endless, many of which I can't answer or I have to dash to internet for some quick research. I'm really pleased he's showing interest in an area beyond his beloved football and cricket and thought I'd get him a book on the subject.

I think a reference type book which he can easily dip in and out of would suit his reading style and have come across these 2:-

The Kingfisher Space Encyclopedia
Space a Children's Encyclopedia (DK)

Neither are on the shelves at my local bookshop so I can't browse through them. I was just wondering whether anyone had any suggestions or recommendations? The DK one gets good reviews but it appears it was often bought for younger kids so not sure if its the right choice for a 12 year old.

Cosimo · 29 Nov 2013 at 13:32

Martytoon said:
I thought I'd try here first, rather than start a new thread in GD.

My 12 year old over the last few months has started to take a real interest in space. The questions are endless, many of which I can't answer or I have to dash to internet for some quick research. I'm really pleased he's showing interest in an area beyond his beloved football and cricket and thought I'd get him a book on the subject.

I think a reference type book which he can easily dip in and out of would suit his reading style and have come across these 2:-

The Kingfisher Space Encyclopedia
Space a Children's Encyclopedia (DK)

Neither are on the shelves at my local bookshop so I can't browse through them. I was just wondering whether anyone had any suggestions or recommendations? The DK one gets good reviews but it appears it was often bought for younger kids so not sure if its the right choice for a 12 year old.

He may already be too old for, DK: Space (Eye Wonder).

Why don't you get the real thing, DK: Space Encyclopedia and he can grow into it.

Take a look on Amazon as you can take a look inside some books. The latter can be had new from £22.01 used from £6.69. You'll find that most used books from them are practically new.

Martytoon · 29 Nov 2013 at 16:32

Thanks Cosimo will take a look at that.

Sorry another question. We've got cloudless skies and at the moment and there is a single extremely bright star in the south west, fairly low on the horizon (I'm based in north of england). It is the only star visible at 4.30pm. I'm trying to work out what it may be?

Cosimo · 29 Nov 2013 at 16:50

Martytoon said:
Thanks Cosimo will take a look at that.

Sorry another question. We've got cloudless skies and at the moment and there is a single extremely bright star in the south west, fairly low on the horizon (I'm based in north of england). It is the only star visible at 4.30pm. I'm trying to work out what it may be?

That would be Venus.

Tibbz2 · 29 Nov 2013 at 16:56

Oh by the way...

ISON SURVIVED

Well a little bit did anyway, they expect it to be -1 mag or brighter, so a good object for bins and certainly for scopes

Tibbz2 · 29 Nov 2013 at 16:58

Glaucus said:
Why doesn't money grow on trees.

What you looking at just for planets?

I'm not really an expert in this I'm afraid, but probably still pretty pricey even with a webcam, because you'll still need a decent mount to track the planet with

Cosimo · 29 Nov 2013 at 17:16

Tibbz2 said:
Oh by the way...

ISON SURVIVED

:D

Well a little bit did anyway, they expect it to be -1 mag or brighter, so a good object for bins and certainly for scopes :D :D :D[/QUOTE]

It does look like it:

[MEDIA=youtube]qdnAfrMFQkc[/MEDIA]

More:

[url]http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/comet-ison-may-have-survived/[/url]

:D

Cosimo · 30 Nov 2013 at 06:58

http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/astronomy/nightsky/

Cosimo · 2 Dec 2013 at 17:34

Cosimo · 3 Dec 2013 at 09:19

Update:

After several days of continued observations, scientists continue to work to determine and to understand the fate of Comet ISON: There's no doubt that the comet shrank in size considerably as it rounded the sun and there's no doubt that something made it out on the other side to shoot back into space. The question remains as to whether the bright spot seen moving away from the sun was simply debris, or whether a small nucleus of the original ball of ice was still there. Regardless, it is likely that it is now only dust.

Comet ISON, which began its journey from the Oort Cloud some 3 million years ago, made its closest approach to the sun on Nov. 28, 2013. The comet was visible in instruments on NASA's Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory, or STEREO, and the joint European Space Agency/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, or SOHO, via images called coronagraphs. Coronagraphs block out the sun and a considerable distance around it, in order to better observe the dim structures in the sun's atmosphere, the corona. As such, there was a period of several hours when the comet was obscured in these images, blocked from view along with the sun. During this period of time, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory could not see the comet, leading many scientists to surmise that the comet had disintegrated completely.

However, something did reappear in SOHO and STEREO coronagraphs some time later -- though it was significantly less bright.
Whether that spot of light was merely a cloud of dust that once was a comet, or if it still had a nucleus -- a small ball of its original, icy material -- intact, is still unclear. It seems likely that as of Dec. 1, there was no nucleus left. By monitoring its changes in brightness over time, scientists can estimate whether there's a nucleus or not, but our best chance at knowing for sure will be if the Hubble Space Telescope makes observations later in December 2013.
Regardless of its fate, Comet ISON did not disappoint researchers. Over the last year, observatories around the world and in space gathered one of the largest sets of comet observations of all time, which should provide fodder for study for years to come. The number of space-based, ground-based, and amateur observations were unprecedented, with twelve NASA space-based assets observing over the past year.

Cosimo · 4 Dec 2013 at 15:41

Cosimo · 4 Dec 2013 at 18:44

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