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Post by auntym on Sept 26, 2012 11:01:26 GMT -6
www.astronomy.com/News-Observing/News/2012/09/New%20comet%20will%20light%20up%20the%20sky.aspx New comet will light up the sky[/color]
This interplanetary visitor may be the brightest comet ever.[/color] By Michael E. Bakich — Published: September 25, 2012 About a year from now, Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) probably will become the brightest comet anyone alive has ever seen. How bright it could get is currently the subject of vigorous discussion among planetary scientists and everyday comet-watchers. Two astronomers, Vitali Nevski from Vitebsk, Belarus, and Artyom Novichonok from Kondopoga, Russia, discovered the comet on images they obtained September 21. They used the 16-inch (0.4-meter) Santel reflector of the International Scientific Optical Network, whose abbreviation — ISON — is now the Comet C/2012 S1’s common name. When the two scientists found the comet, it glowed weakly at magnitude 18.8. As a comparison, it would take the light from more than 100,000 such comets to equal the faintest star visible to the naked eye from a dark site. According to predictions, the comet will approach to within 0.012 astronomical units (1.1 million miles [1.8 million kilometers]) of the Sun at the end of November 2013. One astronomical unit (AU) equals the average distance between the Sun and Earth, about 93 million miles (149.7 million km). Then, in January 2014, the comet will approach to within 0.4 AU (37.2 million miles [59.9 million km]) of Earth. Currently, Comet ISON glows around 18th magnitude in front of the stars of Cancer the Crab. In the second week of December, it will enter Gemini the Twins. Astronomy: Richard Talcott and Roen Kelly Regarding visibility, Comet ISON — currently 6.5° due east of the 1st-magnitude star Pollux in Gemini the Twins — is now bright enough for amateur astronomers with large telescopes to image. That said, the comet itself will not show much in the way of detail for several months. By late summer 2013, observers at dark locations should be able to spot the comet through small telescopes or possibly even binoculars. And sometime in late October or early November, C/2012 S1 should cross the naked-eye visibility threshold. From there, it may reach — or even exceed — the brightness of the Full Moon. CONTINUE READING: www.astronomy.com/News-Observing/News/2012/09/New%20comet%20will%20light%20up%20the%20sky.aspx
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Post by swamprat on Sept 26, 2012 15:20:42 GMT -6
Wow!! Can't wait!
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Post by paulette on Sept 26, 2012 16:04:06 GMT -6
Somewhere I read that this may cross through the asteroid belt between earth and Mars. I couldn't find the source just now. If it does, rocks in stable orbits could be knocked into collision with us or Mars. But now I can't find that (It wasn't on a disreputable site - I think...)
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Post by Deleted on Sept 27, 2012 19:25:15 GMT -6
This is great news,,,,maybe. There are 2 comets which may light up the sky next year, PANSTARRS ( in March),and this one (ISON). What it all comes down to is the comets composition . I'm hoping for an awesome show from both but astronomers know that comets are highly unpredictable. Let's hope,,,,
Cliff
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Post by swamprat on Mar 18, 2013 14:05:18 GMT -6
If you've been disappointed with PANSTARRS, wait 'till ISON gets here!Astronomers gearing up for possible 'comet of the century'By Mike Wall Published March 18, 2013 Astronomers are already getting set for the arrival of Comet ISON, which may become one of the brightest comets ever seen when it cruises through the inner solar system this fall. NASA has brought together a small team of experts to organize an observing campaign for Comet ISON, which could potentially shine as brightly as the moon when it makes its closest pass by the sun in late November if the most optimistic scenarios play out. Coordinating the efforts of observatories on the ground and in space should help wring as much quality science as possible out of the comet's solar flyby, Comet ISON Observing Campaign (CIOC) officials said. 'We have to go forward with optimism and prepare for something really special, something really spectacular.' - Karl Battams, a scientist at the U.S. Naval Research Lab in Washington "It's a rare opportunity that we've got such a long heads-up time, so we actually have time to organize a campaign like this," said Battams. "There's a lot of new science that we could get from this." ISON is a sungrazing comet, meaning its long, looping path through space takes it extremely close to our star. Indeed, ISON is forecast to zoom just 680,000 miles above the solar surface on its closest approach, which will take place on Nov. 28. Comet ISON could put on a spectacular show around this time, experts say, potentially glowing so brightly that it's visible in the daytime sky.
Read more: www.foxnews.com/science/2013/03/18/astronomers-gearing-up-for-possible-comet-century/?intcmp=features#ixzz2NvHkoIfu
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Post by auntym on Mar 25, 2013 11:51:48 GMT -6
events.slooh.com/ Slooh
Slooh #Comet ISON event today 3/25, 4pm pdt / 7pm edt/ 01utc - tracking live from Canary w/Berman and Coxy.Comet ISON orbit - NASA JPL SloohOnAirVideos WATCH LIVE TODAY: events.slooh.com/[/color]
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Post by auntym on Apr 23, 2013 21:04:27 GMT -6
www.space.com/20787-comet-ison-hubble-photos.html?cmpid=514648 Hubble Telescope Photographs Potential 'Comet of the Century'[/color] by Mike Wall, SPACE.com Senior Writer Date: 23 April 2013 This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image of Comet ISON was taken on April 10, 2013, when the comet was slightly closer than Jupiter's orbit at a distance of 386 million miles from the sun (394 million miles from Earth). CREDIT: NASA, ESA, J.-Y. Li (Planetary Science Institute), and the Hubble Comet ISON Imaging Science Team NASA's iconic Hubble Space Telescope has snapped stunning new photos of Comet ISON, which could become one of the brightest comets ever seen when it zips through the inner solar system this fall. Hubble captured the new photos on April 10, when Comet ISON was slightly closer than Jupiter. At the time the icy wanderer was about 386 million miles (621 million kilometers) from the sun and 394 million miles (634 million km) from Earth. CONTINUE READING: www.space.com/20787-comet-ison-hubble-photos.html?cmpid=514648
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2013 13:31:53 GMT -6
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2013 4:09:36 GMT -6
I don't like being the bearer of bad news,and I hope I'm not, but much of this hype about this comet is due to the media. Several of us within the astronomical community have explained that this comet is highly unpredictable. Some estimates are 2nd magnitude at best, in the early morning twilight. If that is the case, and it is still far too early to tell, that will be interesting for both professional and amateur astronomers, but to the normal onlookers it could be upsetting like the recently hyped PanSTARRS (I personally enjoyed PanSTARRS but it was unfortunate for many even with telescopes who couldn't find it) and the overly hyped comet Kahoutek which fizzled out 40 years ago were. I still have pictures of PanSTARRS that I plan on sharing with TEOR first once I have the memory card loaded to a disc. Time will tell more about this comet. I'm hoping for a great one,just as good or better than Hale-Bopp (what a beauty ),but I remain on the fence with this. More about it will be known in the months of July and August on as it gets closer and better observations taken as it gets closer to the sun to analyze it's emissions. Stay tuned,,,, Cliff
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Post by swamprat on Jun 2, 2013 19:18:15 GMT -6
Possible 'Comet of the Century' Blazes Up in New Photos
by Mike Wall, SPACE.com Senior Writer Date: 30 May 2013 Image of Comet ISON obtained using the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph at Gemini North on April 3A comet that could become one of the brightest ever seen when it flys by the sun this November is already remarkably bright and active, a new set of photos shows. Comet ISON sports a well-defined tail of dust and gas even though it remains far from the sun, the new images from Hawaii's Gemini North Observatory reveal. But it's still too early to tell if ISON will live up to the "comet of the century" hype, researchers stress. A comet that could become one of the brightest ever seen when it flys by the sun this November is already remarkably bright and active, a new set of photos shows. Comet ISON sports a well-defined tail of dust and gas even though it remains far from the sun, the new images from Hawaii's Gemini North Observatory reveal. But it's still too early to tell if ISON will live up to the "comet of the century" hype, researchers stress. Comet ISON was discovered in September 2012 by Russian amateur astronomers Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok. Researchers believe the comet, which is likely 3 to 4 miles (4.8 to 6.5 kilometers) wide, is making its first trip to the inner solar system from the distant, icy Oort Cloud. ISON is streaking toward a dramatic rendezvous with the sun on Nov. 28, when the comet is set to skim just 800,000 miles (1.3 million km) above the solar surface. If the comet doesn't break apart or fizzle out beforehand, it could put on a spectacular show around this time, scientists say, perhaps blazing as brightly as the full moon. The new Gemini North images captured ISON from early February to early May of this year, when the comet ranged between 455 million to 360 million miles from the sun (730 million to 580 million km) — just inside the orbit of Jupiter. Most comets develop a tail when they're near the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, because at this distance the sun's warmth begins sublimating their water ice to gas, researchers said. But ISON already had a tail when it was roughly twice this distance from our star, indicating that some other material was sublimating out. Meech and other scientists will be keeping a keen eye on ISON, as they hope its close solar approach will reveal new insights about comet composition and behavior. But they're not making many forecasts just yet. Comet ISON "could still become spectacularly bright as it gets very close to the sun," Meech said. But, she added, "I'd be remiss if I didn't add that it's still too early to predict what's going to happen with ISON since comets are notoriously unpredictable." www.livescience.com/37015-comet-ison-photos-gemini-observatory.html
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Post by swamprat on Aug 17, 2013 13:41:56 GMT -6
Comet ISON: Forecast for Potential 'Comet of the Century' Looks DimBy Joe Rao, Skywatching Columnist | August 16, 2013 Comet ISON is not brightening as much as expected as it zooms toward the sun, an amateur astronomer has reported, dealing a blow to skywatchers hoping for a spectacular show from the icy wanderer during its close solar approach this November. ISON, which almost immediately after its discovery last September was branded as a "comet of the century" candidate, now seems in jeopardy of completely disintegrating before skimming just 724,000 miles (1.16 million kilometers) above the surface of the sun on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 28). Since early June, ISON has been unobservable because of its close proximity to the sun in our sky. The comet is now slowly moving out of the bright solar glare and is becoming better placed for viewing in the morning, low in the eastern sky just before sunrise. When the comet vanished a couple of months ago, it had brightened very little if at all since the beginning of 2013. Astronomers had hoped that, while masked by the light of the sun, ISON would begin brightening at a more robust pace as it drew nearer to our star. Unfortunately, that has not happened. Early on Monday (Aug. 12), Arizona amateur astronomer Bruce Gary became the first person to pick up Comet ISON since it disappeared in early June. By stacking images acquired by an 11-inch telescope pointing just 6 degrees above the eastern dawn horizon, he succeeded in recording a fuzzy patch of light with a short tail at the comet's predicted position among stars that are as faint as magnitude 16. Measuring the image, Gary — a retired radio astronomer and atmospheric scientist — came up with a total magnitude of 14.3 ± 0.2. That is at least two magnitudes fainter than most predictions, and more than a thousand times fainter than the dimmest star that can be perceived with the unaided eye. Gary’s observation does not bode well for ISON’s future performance, experts say. “That the comet continues to appear as faint as it does implies that its intrinsic brightness (absolute magnitude) is low and that the nucleus is probably small and relatively inactive," said well-known comet observer John Bortle. Bortle added that, in his opinion, "ISON has no chance of surviving its perihelion, based on my paper 'Post-Perihelion Survival of Comets with Small q' (International Comet Quarterly, Vol. 13, No. 3, July 1991)." Of course, such forecasts are based on just one set of photographs. During the coming weeks, many other observations of ISON made by amateur and professional astronomers worldwide, as well as by orbiting satellites, will give us a much better assessment of ISON’s chances. In light of this, Bortle stresses that he is hedging his bets: "I wouldn't fully commit to such until I see some actual visual observations reported." We here at SPACE.com will have another update on ISON when more of those observations become available at the end of this month, so stay tuned! www.space.com/22405-comet-ison-lackluster-brightness-predictions.html
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Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2013 2:46:03 GMT -6
There is a slight possibility that I may have spotted comet ISON but I cannot confirm it for sure,,,,,yet. The object that I saw was just within the limits of my telescopes ability to resolve and did appear to be a comet but it will take at least one or two more observations to know for sure. I used an observational technique called "averted vision". It was in the early morning sky two days ago in the constellation of Cancer close to and just slightly to the left of a star cluster known as M44 or "the beehive" cluster. I prefer to call it "Praesepe" , (pronounced : pre -see-pay being a latin word meaning "manger"). The planet Mars is located in that cluster at this time also. waitingforison.wordpress.com/september-2013/Other observations I was able to make early that morning was the very beautiful Orion nebula (M42) , M42 - Orion's nebulaand nearby was a very faint object called M78 which was discernible, plus the nebulous Pleiades (M45) in Taurus , M45 (Pleiades cluster) in Taurus also, the double cluster in Perseus (NGC 869 and NGC 884) , as well as Jupiter with 4 of it's equatorial cloud belts clearly visible along with 4 of it's Galilean moons ( Io, Europa,Ganymede, and Callisto). It was a beautiful morning in the Ozarks.
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Post by lois on Sept 16, 2013 14:30:02 GMT -6
Comet ISON I thought this was great footage. What will happen in December?
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Post by lois on Sept 16, 2013 14:58:02 GMT -6
Guest speaker. Rev. Michelle Hopkins on Comet ISON
I hope it all lands in the ocean in December!!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2013 17:39:25 GMT -6
If the comet would've collided with asteroids as the lady in the video "assumes ", the comet would've most likely brightened up and been detected by both ground based and orbiting instruments. This comet is typical like all other comets which orbit our solar system. The only difference with this one is it is getting media hype,,, and a while lotta disinformation. Our planet will go through where it previously orbited and most likely particles will enter (as with many other comets which naturally travel through the solar system), but it most likely wont be any different than any other meteor shower.
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Post by lois on Sept 17, 2013 9:14:24 GMT -6
If the comet would've collided with asteroids as the lady in the video "assumes ", the comet would've most likely brightened up and been detected by both ground based and orbiting instruments. This comet is typical like all other comets which orbit our solar system. The only difference with this one is it is getting media hype,,, and a while lotta disinformation. Our planet will go through where it previously orbited and most likely particles will enter (as with many other comets which naturally travel through the solar system), but it most likely wont be any different than any other meteor shower. That is good news. I hope this is how it will be Cliff. Who in the world is Michelle?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2013 23:47:31 GMT -6
If the comet would've collided with asteroids as the lady in the video "assumes ", the comet would've most likely brightened up and been detected by both ground based and orbiting instruments. This comet is typical like all other comets which orbit our solar system. The only difference with this one is it is getting media hype,,, and a while lotta disinformation. Our planet will go through where it previously orbited and most likely particles will enter (as with many other comets which naturally travel through the solar system), but it most likely wont be any different than any other meteor shower. That is good news. I hope this is how it will be Cliff. Who in the world is Michelle? I really don't know who she is Lois.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2013 23:50:34 GMT -6
This was shared to me by one of my astro friends so I thought I'd pass it along here. Thunderbolts Project
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Post by lois on Sept 20, 2013 10:13:54 GMT -6
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Post by swamprat on Sept 24, 2013 18:41:26 GMT -6
Mars Spacecraft to Photograph Comet ISON's Red Planet Flyby Next Weekby Megan Gannon, News Editor September 24, 2013 The potentially dazzling Comet ISON was discovered exactly a year this month, and now a fleet of spacecraft is gearing up to track the icy wanderer during its close encounter with Mars next week. Comet ISON was discovered by Russian amateur astronomers on Sept. 21, 2012 and has since been billed by scientists as a potential "comet of the century" if it survives an extremely close brush with the sun later this year. Next Tuesday (Oct. 1), the Comet ISON will fly by Mars at a range of 6.5 million miles (10.4 million kilometers). The European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft should have a good view of the flyby. The orbiter began its observation campaign on Sept. 21. www.space.com/22924-comet-ison-mars-flyby-spacecraft-ready.html
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Post by sunbow on Sept 24, 2013 19:11:53 GMT -6
I am not usually much for the youtube every next thing is the big thing, but ISON is a bit strange.
ISON is reported by some to have three pieces.
It's not your close periodic comet. It may have been knocked in the Oort cloud and be on its first journey toward Earth.
I'm wondering how dense the debris we will pass through in Feb. and if any pieces are larger than normal.
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Post by skywalker on Sept 24, 2013 19:19:00 GMT -6
If the sun continues to be inactive like it has been recently there is a good chance it will survive the trip around the sun intact. There's still hope for a good show yet.
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Post by swamprat on Sept 27, 2013 18:11:54 GMT -6
Comet ISON In Sight! Amateur Astronomers Spot Potential 'Comet of the Century'by Nola Taylor Redd, SPACE.com Contributor September 27, 2013 The potential "comet of the century" Comet ISON could either become a shining visual treat or a fizzled out chunk of rock and ice when it makes its close pass of the sun, but which will it be? As the comet moves toward its close encounter with the star, amateur astronomers are providing information that could help scientists understand more about Comet ISON's shift into brilliance or mediocrity. You can watch a video about Comet ISON's current brightness here on SPACE.com. "Comet ISON is approaching Mars in the pre-dawn sky," Carey Lisse, head of NASA's Comet ISON Observing Campaign, said in a statement. "It is invisible to the naked eye, but within reach of backyard telescopes." Many of those telescopes have already turned toward the approaching comet. "I photographed Comet ISON on September 15 using my 4-inch refractor," U.K. amateur astrophotographer Pete Lawrence was reported as saying in a NASA statement. "The comet's tail is nicely on view even through this relatively small instrument." In Puerto Rico, astronomer Efrain Morales Rivera used a 12-inch (30 cm) telescope to view the comet "rising above the canopy of the rain forest just minutes before sunrise" on Sept. 14. Composed of ice and dust, comets are often compared to dusty snowballs as they travel through the solar system. Almost all comets spend the majority of their lives in the Oort Cloud, a icy region beyond the reaches of Pluto. Occasionally during their lives, they slingshot around the sun, where the heat turns their dust and ice into a gaseous cloud, creating a tail that always streams away from the star. Discovered in September 2012 by Russian astronomers Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok, ISON will travel within 680,000 miles (1.1 million kilometers) above the sun's surface on Nov. 28. The question on everyone's mind is how it will respond to its close brush with the sun. Because this is ISON's first visit to the inner solar system, the results of the interaction are still up for grabs. Comets that have shown signs of a promising show have fizzled out in the past. "ISON appears likely to survive the in-bound leg of its journey all the way to the sun," comet expert John Bortle said. Cautioning that the comet's change in brightness will likely be slower than previous reports have suggested, he went on to say that "Comet ISON should very briefly become exceptionally bright, at least rivaling the planet Venus in the hours preceding its closest approach to the sun." At the moment ISON is dimmer than some have anticipated, shining about as brightly as distant Pluto. "Certainly we would love it to be a couple of magnitudes brighter right now, but it's doing just fine," Karl Battams of the Naval Research Lab said. "I'd say it's still on course to become a very eye-catching object." Amateur astronomers aren't the only ones studying the approaching comet. As it moves toward the sun, NASA's STEREO satellite and the NASA/ESA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory will have their lenses trained on ISON. Both are equipped with coronagraphs to block the bright light from the sun, capturing ISON at its brightest. But amateur astronomers can often help fill in the gaps left by larger observatories. "Observations from amateur astronomers are really valuable pieces of the puzzle for us," Battams said. "They help us to see how the comet is evolving." To learn how your observations can help NASA's Comet ISON Observing Campaign, visit isoncampaign.org. Editor's note: If you snap a photo of Comet ISON or any other amazing night-sky object and you'd like to share it for a possible story or image gallery, please send images, comments and details to managing editor Tariq Malik at spacephotos@space.com. www.space.com/22957-comet-ison-photos-amateur-astronomers.html
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Post by auntym on Oct 16, 2013 13:10:54 GMT -6
Is Comet ISON accompanied by UFOs?
Published on Oct 14, 2013
Startling images have been circulating of comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) that show that it comprises three objects rather than a solitary nucleus as claimed by NASA astronomers. Is ISON merely a comet that may spectacularly light up in November as it passes near the sun, or is it accompanied by UFO motherships with an unknown purpose?
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sunbow
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Post by sunbow on Oct 16, 2013 13:45:27 GMT -6
Even if it is three objects and two appear as cylinders, it seems a huge leap of belief system to imply that they are 2 UFOs. There are many videos of ISON to fly by mars in very beginning of October, but after quite a few searches I do not see many results from the fly by. Here is one explanation, however the fact that this is all that I could find really worries me. The few images which exist on this site are of such poor resolution as to be useless. isoncampaign.org/karl/show-me-the-data
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Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2013 17:08:48 GMT -6
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Post by Deleted on Oct 23, 2013 6:19:11 GMT -6
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Post by skywalker on Oct 23, 2013 7:48:18 GMT -6
That little sucker is just moving right along isn't it?
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Post by sunbow on Nov 5, 2013 12:46:10 GMT -6
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Post by swamprat on Nov 11, 2013 16:49:33 GMT -6
Incoming Comet ISON Now Visible in BinocularsBy Mike Wall, Senior Writer | November 11, 2013 The potentially dazzling Comet ISON has brightened enough on its highly anticipated approach toward the sun that it's now visible through a decent pair of binoculars. Skywatchers around the world have recently used binoculars to spot Comet ISON, which is streaking toward a close encounter with the sun on Nov. 28 that will bring the icy wanderer within just 730,000 miles (1.2 million kilometers) of the solar surface. "I have made my first confirmed binocular sighting of C/2012 S1 ISON as well," Pete Lawrence, of the town of Selsey in the United Kingdown, told the website Spaceweather.com on Saturday (Nov. 9). "ISON's head appears small and stellar through a pair of 15x70s optics." Comet ISON is cruising through the constellation Virgo at the moment and is visible in binoculars low in the predawn eastern sky, Spaceweather.com reports. The comet is currently as bright as an 8th magnitude star — too dim to be seen with the naked eye but easy to spot with binoculars or a small telescope. www.space.com/23552-comet-ison-visible-binoculars-skywatching.html
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