• From: Montpellier, France
  • Registered: 2011-12-05
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Topic: Astronomy stuff

We already have a Space Nerds thread, but I figured it was more astronautics related.

I'd like this thread to be a place about astronomy itself - theory or practice. Pictures, current events. Buying observation or photography equipment. What to observe and when. Anything.

And I would very much like to open this with the hot topic of the moment: the comet ISON.

Discovered in September 2012, ISON (named after its discover, the International Scientific Optical Network - its proper designation is C/2012 S1) is a sungrazing comet currently getting very close to the Sun. Scientists fear it might not survive it. But if it does, it could very well become the comet of the century, looking even brighter than Comet Lovejoy did back in 2011. Just picture that.

Here's, however, an (already) amazing picture of it an astronomer made a week and a half ago: http://i.imgur.com/kSbW1Ay.jpg

What a beauty.

It's been observable to the naked eye for a few days, but you need a very clear sky in order to do that. I got up at 6:30am last Saturday to see it, and nothing showed up - to my eyes or my camera sensor. A big city like Montpellier is not the best place to observe celestial objects, though. If ISON survives, I'll go shoot it on a mountaintop back home or something. tongue

It's still getting closer to the Sun as we speak, and it'll be at its closest next Thursday (1.2 million kilometers; that's awfully close). From that moment on, and provided the comet is big enough not to crack open when licking the Sun's corona, the actual show should begin... Although we'll probably have to wait until December 6th to see it. Before that, the comet will still be drowned in the morning lights.

Last edited by Saniss (2013-11-25 23:27:07)

Sébastien Fraud
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  • From: Liverpool, UK
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Re: Astronomy stuff

I'd love to see Ison, or any comet for that matter. Damn you light pollution!

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  • From: Chicago-ish
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Re: Astronomy stuff

Yep, I went out at 4:30 in the below freezing morning last week expecting a good-enough sky, but all I got was a few overexposed shots of Mercury. Here's hoping ISON spreads out and goes Hale-Bopp after the graze.

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  • From: Bristol. Again.
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Re: Astronomy stuff

Can anyone tell me what the bright spot by the moon at the moment is?

Extended Edition - 146 - The Rise Of Skywalker
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  • From: Alberta
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Re: Astronomy stuff

I believe it's Mars

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  • From: Montpellier, France
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Re: Astronomy stuff

Things don't look good for ISON. Being now at its closest to the Sun, the comet's magnitude has fallen abruptly. Nothing is certain yet, but it looks like ISON has broken up. Here's what it looks like as seen from SOHO:

http://i.imgur.com/C8l9E8E.jpg

I'm currently following a NASA Google Hangout in which NASA scientists are currently trying to analyze the comet's situation as new images are transmitted from SOHO.

Timelapse of the comet; we can clearly see it getting way dimmer;

Last edited by Saniss (2013-11-28 19:32:07)

Sébastien Fraud
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  • From: Montpellier, France
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Re: Astronomy stuff

Update: at least part of the comet has survived.

http://i.imgur.com/c2HvG64.gif

No nucleus is visible, so currently we have no idea what's next. ISON is currently hashtagged as #TheWalkingDead on Twitter. I doubt it's much more than that...

Last edited by Saniss (2013-11-28 21:20:19)

Sébastien Fraud
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  • From: Chicago-ish
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Re: Astronomy stuff

It'd be cooler if it made it out of there, but Science wins either way!

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  • From: Van Dieman's Land
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Re: Astronomy stuff

Jeff Goldblum has just reported to the White House that Ison's orbital trajectory has deflected and it's now heading right towards New York. Isonomegasharkopussnadoasteriod

not long to go now...

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  • From: Red Deer, AB
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Re: Astronomy stuff

avatar wrote:

Isonomegasharkopussnadoasteriod

Then sharks.

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  • From: Montpellier, France
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Re: Astronomy stuff

"Oort Cloud"

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/oort_cloud.png

Last edited by Saniss (2013-11-29 12:51:18)

Sébastien Fraud
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Re: Astronomy stuff

ISON may have survived. Which means, at least part of the nucleus did - but it was damaged along the way. Still, the comet keeps getting brighter as it's flying away from the Sun.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BaP3idcCcAAbebv.jpg:large

Last edited by Saniss (2013-11-29 15:19:43)

Sébastien Fraud
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  • From: Red Deer, AB
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Re: Astronomy stuff

Not to sound like a dick, but... why do we care exactly?

/knowsnothingaboutwhatsgoingon

ZangrethorDigital.ca

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  • From: Montpellier, France
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Re: Astronomy stuff

That's a fair question, actually. The short answer would be: "because it's very rare and amazing".

ISON was supposed to become a very bright comet in our night sky after its perihelion. Some said it would be the "comet of the century", although it's unlikely now. Comets like this don't happen all the time, so when they do, people tend to care a lot.

Scientists care, because it helps them learn a lot about many things. ISON comes from the Oort cloud, a big ass comet reservoir (I'm talking billions) surrounding our solar system. This cloud is as old as the solar system, and ISON has never come close to the Sun before, so it's untouched and can help us understand the solar system's formation. And while it's flying close to the Sun, its tail's fluctuations can say a lot about the Sun's magnetic field.

Amateur astronomers like me care, because they're rare and beautiful and they're worth observing and/or photographing.

I'm very passionate about anything related to astronomy. Comets are as extraordinary to me as anything else that can be observed in the night sky. Lovejoy looked like this in 2011, but the show was for the southern hemisphere (or them bastards up in the ISS):

http://i.imgur.com/0CHuMD9l.jpg

I dream of seeing things like this.

Last edited by Saniss (2013-11-29 16:10:01)

Sébastien Fraud
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Re: Astronomy stuff

Interesting.

ZangrethorDigital.ca

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  • From: Montpellier, France
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Re: Astronomy stuff

Looks like it's over. The Sun's intense coronal activity kinda finished the job. Beautiful while it lasted, though, and I'm sure we'll learn a lot from all this.

http://img15.hostingpics.net/pics/640560isonstereoA.gif

Last edited by Saniss (2013-11-30 22:41:01)

Sébastien Fraud
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Re: Astronomy stuff

Today's NASA's APOD (Astronomy Picture of the Day) is very interesting.

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1312/lovejoy_hackmann_960.jpg

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html

First, it was taken outside Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire in France. The astronomy center where I've worked as an activity leader for the last few summers is right behind this windmill. smile

Secondly, it shows a very cool comet. This is Lovejoy (not the same as the one in 2011, but it was discovered by the same amateur astronomer, Terry Lovejoy), and it's being beautiful at the moment. It's not a sungrazer, though, and it's already moving away from the Sun.

If you guys wanna see a comet, this is the time. It's not very bright, and probably not observable to the naked eyes, but get some binoculars and you might see it. What would also be very cool would be to feed the Astrophotography thread with pictures of it. It's not hard at all, and I think even with some light pollution it'll work. Just get a tripod, and do a 5 to 10 second exposure shoot towards the East before sunrise.

I plan on shooting it back home during the holidays, but as the month progresses, it'll get dimmer.

Last edited by Saniss (2013-12-09 15:47:15)

Sébastien Fraud
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Re: Astronomy stuff

Thanks for the heads up, I'll try to get something Tuesday morning!

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  • From: Montpellier, France
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Re: Astronomy stuff

http://0e33611cb8e6da737d5c-e13b5a910e105e07f9070866adaae10b.r15.cf1.rackcdn.com/Gerald-Rhemann-Lovejoy-Dez-14-color-5_1387212445.jpg

...goddamn. That's Lovejoy for you.

Last edited by Saniss (2013-12-17 00:42:25)

Sébastien Fraud
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Re: Astronomy stuff

Yeah, that reminds me About my Tuesday comment. It was 5F outside. I stayed in.

Did you take that shot? Gorgeous indeed!

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  • From: Montpellier, France
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Re: Astronomy stuff

No, I didn't make that. This amazing shot is way out of my league. smile

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