The Comet Wakes Up

C2012 S1 ISON is Putting on a Show

Judging by this great image of Comet ISON just released from the European Southern Observatory, it’s safe to say that ISON is becoming the Comet of the Year for 2013. I know that naysayers have been muttering about what a fizzle it was, and it was kind of quiet. But, in the last couple of weeks, ISON has awakened and is putting doubts to rest.  This image shows activity in the plasma tail, which forms when gas molecules are ionized by the solar wind as the comet passes through.

I look at this image and see that perhaps the comet is about to experience what’s called a plasma tail disconnection event. That’s a “break off” of the plasma tail as it encounters a change of polarity in the solar wind. A new plasma tail will start to form immediately, and the old one will float off to interplanetary space.

Now, you’re probably wondering about seeing Comet ISON for yourself. You only have a few days left to really get a good look. To do it, you have to get up before dawn, and look to the east (which makes sense —the comet is on a headlong rush toward the Sun) after 5 a.m. Look for the Big Dipper. Once you find that, locate the curved handle, and follow that curve until you find the star Arcturus.  (You arc to Arcturus—one of  my favorite stargazing commands).  After that, curve down to Spica, and the comet shouldn’t be too far away from that star.   After that, it will appear to head toward Scorpius before angling back up toward Bootes and Corona Borealis in December. For good viewing charts, check out Astronomy.com and SkyandTelescope.com. Also, keep checking places like Spaceweather.com and Astronomy Picture of the Day for comet images as they come in.

The comet will slip out of view for a few days around November 28th, its closest approach to the Sun. There’s a school of thought among astronomers that it could break up due to the intense gravitational pull of the Sun (and the heat). If it does that, it’s anybody’s guess about how it will look after that. If it doesn’t break up, then look for the comet (again in the early morning) after about the 3rd or 4th of December. I also read that the Solar Dynamics Observatory (focused on the Sun) will be able to follow the comet through perihelion, so keep an eye on their Web page for a video release after perihelion. There’s still a lot of comet-gazing coming up, so check it out! (And, while you’re at it, get ready for Comet Lovejoy!)  Enjoy watching these incredibly cool bits of solar system history!