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Post by tangent on Feb 22, 2013 22:03:04 GMT
Comet Ison caught on film by Deep Impact craftComet Ison is likely to light up the skies later this year. Its path will put it spectacularly close to the Sun in November and if it does not burn up entirely, could be the "comet of the century". It already has a 64,000km-long tail of dust and gas that will become visible to the naked eye later in the year - a trail scientists will study closely.
"This appears to be this comet's first-ever journey into the inner Solar System and it is expected to pass much closer to the Sun than most comets," said Tony Farnham of the University of Maryland. If this "sungrazing" comet survives intact, it should emerge from the near-miss even brighter than before, and could be lighting up our skies through January 2014 - perhaps even in broad daylight. What portents of doom do you think we'll see in the 'news'?
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Post by jayme on Feb 22, 2013 22:17:20 GMT
I don't know, but that sounds really cool! I can't wait to see it!
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Post by Shake on Mar 13, 2013 2:06:53 GMT
Looking forward to seeing it!
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Post by tangent on Mar 13, 2013 8:24:56 GMT
Looking forward to clear skies in November so that we can see it. Well, pigs might fly.
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Post by Shake on Mar 14, 2013 2:37:32 GMT
I'll go out on that one clear November day we typically get and look for it then!
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Post by tangent on Mar 14, 2013 11:15:35 GMT
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Post by Shake on Mar 15, 2013 1:34:03 GMT
Tried to get a glimpse of PanSTARRS tonight, but I couldn't see it, and it was too windy and cold to stay out very long looking for it. Thought it was supposed to be somewhat near the moon around 7pm. Will try again over the next few days, provided it stays clear in the evenings.
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