Datahopa

Here's one to look out for later in the year. Not sure if it will visible to all as the item doesn't state this.

New comets can be annoyingly variable. It could be bright in the day or break up and not be visable at night. No one knows.

If you're luck enough to be in the southern hemisphere at the moment, this one is visable now (http://spaceweather.com/gallery/indiv_upload.php?upload_id=76162).

Comet Ison is now visible with binoculars from most skies and naked eye visible from dark skies.
APOD pic here. (http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap131116.html)

It's in Virgo at the moment but should be much easier to find around December 5th onwards as it heads up to Hercules.
Finder site here. (http://www.mattastro.com/ison/charts.html)

I'm planning on having my scope out Monday morning to catch a glimpse of ISON as it moves past Spica, and I've invited some folks over via Facebook. the long range weather report is promising clear skies, but we all know how that goes. :) Thanks for the links, Snowy. The charts on the finder site are nice, Too bad the Java applet isn't working for me in either FF or Chrome. Maybe I'll try IE next. :P

Well, that was a bust. No clouds, but the Moon was bright enough to completely obscure the view. Even Spica, which is the brightest star in that region of the sky, was only a dim speck of light. I guess I'll have to try it again after ISON swings past the sun. That is, ~IF~ it survives the trip. :(

28th is the closest it gets to the sun. New moon is on the 3rd, so 3 days either side of that should be best.
It should get dimmer, assuming it doesn't break up, after the 28th but will be higher in the sky, so easier to spot.

3rd is a Tuesday. 30th and 1st then 7th and 8th are the weekends.

Here's hoping for clear skies.

Interesting YT vid...

Comet ISON - Sixty Symbols (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoypFpi5d4Y#ws)

Think yourself lucky you can see anything other than clouds Dave, in fact we so little sunshine here I'm surprised the whole Irish population doesnt suffer from ricketts!!!!  :o

I'd gladly take some of those clouds and rain off your hands, DD. It's been so dry here that the river that runs through town here is completely dry, which hasn't happened in recorded history. :o

Did you know there are parts of Ireland that average more than 200 days a year of rain? it's no wonder it's called the Emerald Isle!!

I would gladly trade you some of that rain Dave believe me  ;D

Ison is too close to the sun to see easily now. Here's hoping it wont break up.

Interesting BABlog article. (http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2013/11/25/comet_ison_pictures_and_info.html)

lol, beings we aren't in an FP forum, I won't say what they look like. :P

Still, very cool article. Thanks, Snowy! :thumbsup:

But ISON isn't a comet didn't you know, it's a UFO coming to destroy the earth  :sign-evil-laugh:

http://www.ufosightingsdaily.com/2013/11/comet-ison-has-grown-wings-for-second.html (http://www.ufosightingsdaily.com/2013/11/comet-ison-has-grown-wings-for-second.html)

Oh good LORD. That's too pathetic to be funny. Don't these people have better thi... Never mind, I already know the answer. Oh well, more brain cells for the rest of the planet. :P

Nothing against you, DD. Thanks for reminding us that stupid people still exist. :thumbsup: :D

However, I think that this may well be evidence that ISON probably won't make the trip round the back-side of the Sun. :(

(hey! My notion isn't any less valid than those promoted on that whack-job site! :P)

I have a friend who is rather too taken with alien theories etc so I read them for amusement  ;D

While I'm not daft enough to think that we are the only life in the universe these theories really do take the biscuit, the stupid thing is the guy who runs the website has actually written two books so is making money out of this nonsense!!!!

The expaination for the 3 parts picture is that actually that image is a composite image taken from hubble and includes three exposures, as both hubble and ISON were moving at the time the exposures were taken the images are blurred in the same manner as taking a picture out of the window of a moving vehicle.

Of course this explaination is a big cover-up by the NSA/NASA/US government and I am of course in their pay to perpetuate this cover-up, but I didn't tell you that right!  :mutley:

It's a Klingon bird of prey!

Don't think much of their stealth tech.

I do like the pic with "wings", looks cool. I have 3 words for the UFO guys. Bow Shock Wave.

It is an object but it's not unidentified or flying.

Oh you know what, remember that cult that all killed themselves to get on a space ship hiding in a comet ?  Well I think they got the wrong comet  :o

 :rofl:

Not looking good.

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap131129.html (http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap131129.html)

Yeah, I read that, too, but our good buddy Phil is still hopeful. Sadly, I forgot to jot down the article's URL, and now I can't find it. :(

BBC article here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25143861 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25143861)

Poor ISON :(

There's hope yet...

Found the BABlog article. (http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2013/11/28/ison_update_for_22_00_utc_nov_28.html)

Well ~SOMETHING~ survived...

http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/12/comet-ison-fizzles-but-theres-a-sting-in-the-tail/ (http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/12/comet-ison-fizzles-but-theres-a-sting-in-the-tail/)

RIP Comet ISON as NASA declares it officially dead:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/12/03/248202813/comet-ison-is-no-more-nasa-says (http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/12/03/248202813/comet-ison-is-no-more-nasa-says)