Comet Ison - might be spectacular - this week

A poster at JREF asked if there was a history of comets brightening as they grazed the sun.....that would be a resounding yes....

Quote:

Comet McNaught, 2007 —Discovered in August 2006 by astronomer Robert McNaught at Australia's Siding Spring Observatory, this comet evolved into a brilliant object as it swept past the sun on Jan. 12, 2007 at a distance of just 15.9 million miles (25.6 million km). According to reports received from a worldwide audience at the International Comet Quarterly, it appears that the comet reached peak brightness on Sunday, Jan. 14 at around 12 hours UT (7:00 a.m. EST, or 1200 GMT). At that time, the comet was shining at magnitude 5.1. Some observers, such as Steve O'Meara, located at Volcano, Hawaii, observed McNaught in daylight and estimated a magnitude as high as -6, noting, "The comet appeared much brighter than Venus!" After passing the sun, Comet McNaught developed a stupendously large, fan-shaped tail somewhat reminiscent of the Great Comet of 1744. Unfortunately for Northern Hemisphere observers, the best views of Comet McNaught were mainly from south of the equator.

and this is what I saw on the edge of the Atlantic in Hermanus SA



I was simply astounded ....and three nights of it ....no picture can capture just how enormous that tail was....







wiki image



this is perhaps the closest to what I actually saw over the ocean ( wiki image )







so yeah - when it rounds the sun THEN you can be thrilled or disappointed.....McNaught was a once in a lifetime - right time and place - we were staying right on the water and just had to walk to the beach.



Keeping my fingers crossed for another realllly big show... :mrgreen:



Ison special on PBS Is really good.



How to See Comet ISON This Week --*Nov. 18-24 | David J. Eicher



A Timeline Of Comet ISON?s Dangerous Journey | NASA

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