|
#1
●
10-03-2012, 12:41 PM
| ||||||||
 ★ Legacy Member ★ Poster Rank:19 Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 60,006
Contributions: 26
Mentioned: 398 Post(s) Quoted: 31466 Post(s)
| ||||||||
|
Comet Due in 2013 Expected to Be 10x Brighter Than the Full Moon
Late next year, there will be a new object in the night sky nearly 10 times brighter than the full moon. This temporary attraction, called C/2012 S1, is a comet that has likely never passed through our inner solar system before, so it's larger and more reflective than those our sun has already blasted. C/2012 S1 won't just be bright; it'll be large enough to see without the need for binoculars or a telescope. Its brightness magnitude is expected to be -16, with the Sun by comparison being -26. Comet Hale-Bopp, seen above, was magnitude -1 when it passed through our solar system in 1997. Astronomers are predicting that C/2012 S1 will appear in the sky near the sun and horizon, so it should be fairly easy to pinpoint without a sky map. Should it contain a large amount of gas beneath its icy exterior, the comet could sprout a massive glowing tail as it nears the sun and the ice is melted away, making it even easier to see — not to mention much cooler looking. Scientists tracking C/2012 S1 have pointed out that the comet's brightness isn't entirely guaranteed, but even if their estimates are off it should still be visible to the naked eye. That wasn't the case with Kohoutek, a comet that entered our solar system in 1973 and was expected to be brilliant in the night sky, only to disappoint because it turned out to be mostly rock and not highly reflective ice.  · |
|
#4
●
10-03-2012, 02:03 PM
| ||||||||
 ★ ********* ★ Poster Rank:247 Male Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 5,565
Contributions: 368
Mentioned: 66 Post(s) Quoted: 932 Post(s)
| ||||||||
|
Re: Comet Due in 2013 Expected to Be 10x Brighter Than the Full Moon
This will look spectacular for sure   Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) photographed at the RAS Observatory near Mayhill, NM on Sept. 22, 2012, by amateur astronomers Ernesto Guido, Giovanni Sostero and Nick Howes of the Remanzacco Observatory. |
|
#6
●
10-03-2012, 03:33 PM
| ||||||||
 Captain of a Sinking Ship Poster Rank:1206 Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 523
Contributions: 16
Mentioned: 1 Post(s) Quoted: 53 Post(s)
| ||||||||
|
Re: Comet Due in 2013 Expected to Be 10x Brighter Than the Full Moon
Hey guys, when's the next Halley's comet? I have this cousin Marcus who saw one he said it blew his mind I want to make sure I never ever miss out on a Halley's comet. |
|
#7
●
10-03-2012, 04:19 PM
| ||||||||
| ★ ********* ★ Poster Rank:247 Male Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 5,565
Contributions: 368
Mentioned: 66 Post(s) Quoted: 932 Post(s)
| ||||||||
|
Re: Comet Due in 2013 Expected to Be 10x Brighter Than the Full Moon
Comet Halley isn't officially scheduled to visit Earth again until 2061 http://science.nasa.gov/science-news.../ast20oct98_1/  |
|
#9
●
10-03-2012, 06:11 PM
| ||||||||
 USER REQUESTED BAN Poster Rank:237 Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 5,989
Contributions: 1
Mentioned: 9 Post(s) Quoted: 779 Post(s)
| ||||||||
|
Re: Comet Due in 2013 Expected to Be 10x Brighter Than the Full Moon
this should be cool as fuck, i missed out on halley's comet but i'll check this one out |
|
#10
●
10-03-2012, 08:02 PM
| ||||||||
 My Rank: MAJOR Poster Rank:199 Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 7,658
Contributions: 5
Mentioned: 22 Post(s) Quoted: 2389 Post(s)
| ||||||||
|
Re: Comet Due in 2013 Expected to Be 10x Brighter Than the Full Moon
I remember Hale -Bopp in in 1997 that was plainly visible even with the naked eye and I thought it was fabulous if this comet is brighter than Hale- Bopp then it should be one heck of a show!
|
