With a more than ninety percent probability that Comet ISON broke apart from a major heating event on its approach to the sun Thanksgiving Day, the search is on for what’s left of it. NASA will use a variety of space and Earth based telescopes to monitor the comet over the next several weeks, before the fate of ISON can be confirmed. Also, Orion’s heat shield, Blue Origin milestone, Rover Challenge, Stone awarded medal and Celebrating Centaur.
Tag: ison
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ISON vs the Sun
The ESA/NASA SOHO satellite watched as Comet ISON made its closest approach to the Sun on 28 November, at a distance of around 1.2 million kilometres from the Sun’s visible surface. Did it survive? Early reports suggested that only the comet’s tail continued to follow along ISON’s orbit. Further observations will reveal if a chunk of the comet’s nucleus survived.
See the latest images: http://soho.esac.esa.int/hotshots/index.html/Credit: SOHO (ESA & NASA)
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ISON inbound
Comet ISON on the approach to the Sun. It entered the SOHO LASCO C3 field of view at 01:41 UT on 27 November. This video covers over 24 hours of the journey so far. Will ISON survive its closest approach with the Sun? Stay tuned: http://soho.esac.esa.int/hotshots/index.html/
Credit: SOHO (ESA & NASA)