Comet ISON is here! This new comet was in January 2013 just a dim speck in the constellation Gemini, between the stars Castor and Pollux. Astronomers could not agree if it was going to develop into the greatest astronomical spectacle in a decade or into a dim and disappointing smudge- and they’re not sure . Here is a quick look at why so much is expected of this visitor from deep space. If you are interested in observing it, see Where is Comet ISON in the Sky?

 

How was it found? The discovery of C/2012 S1 (ISON) was announced on 24 September 2012.It was found by Russian astronomers Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok on CCD images made with a 0.4-m telescope of the International Scientific Optical Network (ISON) near Kislovodsk, Russia. The comet was further from the Sun than Jupiter, 6.6 AU distant (an AU is an astronomical unit, equal to 150 million km, the average distance the Earth is from the Sun), The comet was a very dim Magnitude 18.8 when discovered (objects fainter than Magnitude 6 cannot be seen with the unaided eye).

It was originally thought ISON would be more spectacular to see than Comet Lovejoy, visible near Earth’s horizon in this nighttime image photographed by NASA astronaut Dan Burbank, Expedition 30 commander, onboard the International Space Station on 22 December 2011. Unfortunately these predictions do not seem to be going to play out. (Image credit: NASA )

 

What is its real name? Strictly speaking this comet should be referred to as Comet C/2012 S1, but it is already universally called Comet ISON in the media. Oddly it has not been named after Nevski and Novichonok. For convenience I will call it ISON too.

Why all the excitement? Amateur and professional astronomers worldwide are eagerly anticipating comet ISON. Its orbit is nearly parabolic, which suggests that it may be a dynamically new comet coming freshly from the Oort Cloud, the little-known shell of literally trillions of comet nuclei lying tens of thousands of AU from the Sun. ISON has been on its way sunwards for a million years or so, such new comets are of great interest for what they can tell us about conditions at the dark and distant edge of the Solar System. Apart from the science, Comet ISON looked as though at its brightest it could be a very spectacular sight for astronomers to show off to their friends!

What is it? Like all comets, ISON’s nucleus is a sooty lump of rock and ice (mainly frozen water, but with carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia and other compounds too) a few kilometres across. In April 2013 Hubble Space Telescope images suggested that the nucleus of ISON is no larger than four miles (6.5 km) across which is surprisingly small in view of how active it was at the time. Comet nuclei are ancient, as old as the Solar System and unchanged for most of the past 4.5 billion years. However as it gets closer to the Sun, solar heat brings a comet to life, warming the frigid surface of the comet’s nucleus, melting and vaporising ancient ice. The once placid surface becomes a violent wasteland of erupting geysers. As the ice boils into space, the vapour forms a large but incredibly thin atmosphere called the coma around the comet’s nucleus. Eventually, when the comet is much closer to the Sun, the coma will probably shrink somewhat as the comet develops a couple of long tails, one of gas, the other of dust freed from the comet’s nucleus. The tails are blown directly away from the Sun by the solar wind. The tails and coma of a comet  are so thin as to be to all intents and purposes a vacuum. By the late summer of 2013 the tails had developed but had not yet made the comet more conspicuous. In June NASA’s Spitzer satellite observed a steady stream of carbon dioxide and dust flowing away from the comet in a tail over 186 000 miles (a light second) long. By September, the comet was noticeably green in colour indicating the presence of  cyanogen and diatomic carbon in the tail. You can examine the comet’s orbit with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s excellent Small-Body Database Visualizer.

Image of great comet of 1680

The Great Comet of 1680 over Rotterdam in a painting by Dutch artist Lieve Verschuier (Image credit: via wikimedia.org)

 

Has it been seen before? The answer is absolutely no. Comet ISON is making its one and only visit to the warmth of the inner Solar System.  However its orbit is similar to that of the Great Comet of 1680 (also known as Kirch’s or Newton’s Comet). In 1680, this comet passed extremely close to the Sun, brightening until it was plainly visible to the naked eye in daytime. This historic comet and ISON have such similar orbits that it seemed possible both comets may once have been one body which split apart in the distant past. This is no longer believed to be the case and it appears the two comets are unrelated. It is certain that ISON and the Great Comet of 1680 are completely different objects, anyone who tells you they are one body with an orbital period of 333 years (333 is of course half of 666, so this must be bad) is completely wrong.

Hubble’s view of Comet ISON on Oct. 9, 2013. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

Hubble Space Telescope’s view of Comet ISON on Oct. 9, 2013. (Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA))

 

 

What is it going to do? ISON is classed as a sun-grazing comet. Like every other comet ever observed, Comet ISON  is speeding up as it gets nearer the Sun (its movement is not noticeable as you watch it, but is apparent from night to night). Comet ISON will make its closest approach to the Sun, or perihelion, on 28 November 2013 at a distance of  only 1.2 million km (about 750 000 miles) from the surface of the Sun. This orbit will actually take the comet through the Sun’s outer atmosphere and the comet’s surface temperature may exceed that of molten iron (1538 °C). If the comet survives this very close encounter, it may emerge as an easily spotted early morning object. Alternatively the comet’s nucleus, weakened by losing so much material and stressed by the mighty gravitation forces of the nearby Sun might have disintegrated into a cloud of rubble and ice. In this worst possible case, the comet would rapidly become a dim and fuzzy blob to observers. By early December, this worst case scenario had actually happened, the comet’s nucleus appeared to be crumbling as it approached perihelion, and at first it was not seen when it was expected to have cleared the Sun. However, a small part of the nucleus has survived its ordeal but will not be visible this will be to the average observers as it is just too dim.

 

Comet ISON appears as a peculiar bright smudge with two tails, above the Sun in this image from SOHO’s LASCO C3 camera at 09.22 UT today. Credit: NASA/ESA

Comet ISON appears as a blob with two tails above the Sun (obscured by an occulting disc) in this image from the SOHO spacecraft at 09.22 UT on 29 November 2013. (image credit: NASA/ESA)

 

How can we see it? Assuming ISON is a typical comet, it will gradually get brighter as it nears the Sun, then dim again as it recedes from the Sun. During August 2013, it became bright enough to be visible through large amateur telescopes (it was invisible to the unaided eye), appearing dimmer and harder to see than hoped. Observers saw it as a morning object in the constellation of Cancer, near M44, the Beehive Cluster. It was thought that by late October/early November it could be visible to binocular observers as it began to speed through the constellations, passing through Leo and Virgo, but these predictions have been proven to be over optimistic. However by mid-November its brightness had surged to naked eye visibility. At the end of November its proximity to the Sun made it impossible to see and the comet’s disintegration at perihelion means most people will never get a chance to observe it.

 

 

HiRISE saw a small spot at the position of ISON that is relatively bright, like a star, but moving relative to actual stars. These are the initial raw images, more and better images are expected. (Image credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)

HiRISE saw a small spot at the position of ISON that is relatively bright, like a star, but moving relative to actual stars.  (Image credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)

 

Was it visible from other planets? Everyone thought that ISON would be the first comet in human history to be observed from more than one planet. On 1 October 2013, the comet passed about 0.072 AU (10.8 million km) from Mars. Mission controllers at JPL planned to observe it with the cameras of the Curiosity and Opportunity Mars rovers but the dimmer than expected comet could not be seen.  The European Mars Express orbiter was also used to try to make images of the comet but it seems this was unsuccessful. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter made some images with its HiRISE instrument starting on 29 September 2013 but they were less than spectacular. Despite its close pass there was no chance at all that this comet would collide with Mars (and, despite what some You Tube videos predicted, it didn’t), however there is a very small possibility that another comet, Comet C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring) could impact the Red Planet when it makes an extremely close approach on 19 October 2014.  Despite the predictions of some,  ISON and Mars were not linked by alarming electrical discharges during the comet’s pass.

 

The Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope aboard NASA's Swift imaged comet ISON (center) on Jan. 30, when it was located about 3.3 degrees from the bright star Castor in the constellation Gemini. At the time of this 5.5-minute optical exposure, ISON was about 5,000 times fainter than the limit of human vision. Image released March 29, 2013. CREDIT: NASA/Swift/D. Bodewits, UMCP

The Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope aboard NASA’s Swift imaged comet ISON (centre) on 30 January 2013, when it was located about 3.3 degrees from the bright star Castor in the constellation Gemini. At the time of this 5.5-minute optical exposure, ISON was about 5000 times fainter than the limit of human vision. (Image credit: NASA/Swift/D. Bodewits, UMCP)

 

Is it dangerous? Comet ISON presents no danger at all to life on Earth. Absolutely none. There is not even the most minute chance that it could collide with our planet (anyone who says otherwise is completely misinformed- note I have toned my language here down after some justified criticism). It will pass about 0.42 AU (63 million km) from Earth on 26 December 2013. I cannot believe anyone really thinks this is a near miss. Earth will pass close to the comet’s dust trail on 16 January 2014 and some super-optimists have said we may just be lucky to observe a meteor shower that night.  However this is fantastically unlikely and I am certain it will not happen.

Comet ISON is NOT accompanied by other objects (asteroids or spaceships), this is a (deliberate?) misinterpretation of one of the images of the comet. According to Pete Lawrence who made the image the ‘companions’ are hot pixels, flaws, on the camera’s CCD chip (see Comments for his direct input). The comet is far, far smaller than any planet, there is no possibility that its gravitational pull will cause earthquakes or other environmental disasters on our planet. The comet is also not causing potentially dangerous effects on the Sun, nor is it going to at any future time. Science has never, ever recorded a comet influencing the Sun. If you are still not reassured, all I can do is advise you to read the comment sections on the posts on this blog about Comet Elenin (see also here.) Many people were worried about Elenin causing mayhem to our planet but it passed around the Sun without  any effect on our lives at all. Comet ISON will be just the same. You can listen to me discussing Comet ISON with Howard Hughes on his Unexplained podcast (link).

 

 

 

 

Is it the only bright comet in 2013? ISON is not the only  comet visible in 2013. Another comet, called 2011 L4 (PanSTARRS), was also to be seen in the evening sky in March and April 2013. In September 2013, another comet was announced, this is C/2013 R1 (Lovejoy) which will share the sky with ISON although it is too dim to see without a telescope.

If we are very lucky, by this time next year we could be celebrating a truly memorable comet. Let’s hope!

(Last update 25 February 2014.)

(Article by Colin Johnston, Science Communicator)


255 Comments

priti web master · August 25, 2018 at 11:32

Wow this is very nice content and awesome article.

saint lucia · August 23, 2018 at 14:16

Having read this I thought it was rather informative.
I appreciate you spending some time and effort to
put this information together. I once again find myself
personally spending a lot of time both reading and leaving
comments. But so what, it was still worth it!

Anna · September 18, 2015 at 13:46

A well written and informed site! I have a question though, as I am not well informed about comets, could you tell me how close a comet would have to be, to be considered considerably threatening? http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/asteroids/widget/index.html
http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/ca/
are there any on this list you think we should be concerned about? I was looking at the one for October 2nd and for September 13th, and they seem abnormally close, but are they threatening?

    admin · September 22, 2015 at 10:39

    Dear Anna, none of these object are threatening, note the closest approach distances are given in AU or Astronomical Units which are huge. You should start your research by looking at the definition of potentially hazardous asteroid at http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/neo/groups.html .

Pizza Ok Gorzow · September 17, 2015 at 12:30

Thankyou for helping out, superb information.

Anonymous · September 15, 2015 at 07:08

I think some ‘I told you so’s’ are in order.

Sophie · August 12, 2015 at 08:01

Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self.

mattrix · February 26, 2015 at 08:04

comet ISON should have been a major alarm…. the govt. did a great job destroying it behind the sun… perhaps with a magnetic pulse weapon. admin…. I don’t trust you!

Robin Lings · December 16, 2014 at 00:57

Now that we know that ISON collapsed exiting it’s perihelion, does anyone know (or can work out) what speed ISON was travelling at it’s perihelion just before it collapsed? So far I have worked out from data that it was at a distance of 13933,290 Au from the sun. You may assume perihelion occurred at a distance of 1.86e6 km from the centre of the sun, and neglect the comet kinetic emerge at aphelion. The formula for working out the velocity of an object at some distance r from the Sun is: v = sqrt[GM*(2/r-1/a)]
Where G is the universal gravitational constant, M is the mass of the Sun, and a is the planet’s semimajor axis. Answers to my e-mail address or on here will do. No prizes though!

bob · November 26, 2014 at 10:37

You show me a hunk of ice off a comet. Your so called sublimating jets of water theory just aint holding water. No pun intended. Well maybe. Iam not sure if your a sheep or your just afraid but you no damn good and well no matter the size within reason. a comet that was composed of ice reaching perihelion would dissolve in fact thats what we see. now since most comets oddly have the same basic shape. One can surmize that comets are entirely rock. Cubanite and other exotics. A positive charge at perihelion would create great electrical flaring in fact thats what we see as wings on this comet. There is no explanation you can give that can convince ME otherwise. We live in an electrical universe. Anyway I can probably never get u to step away from your dated belief. And who knows its probably agenda driven or maybe its pride. Either way. Try to entertain me as long as we have the place to ourselves. Who knows we may learn something. Were getting close to the tail now. Double whammy. . This should be interesting. I will have to tell you about growing up in the far north in Alaska. The blood red tornado shapen arora with so much static electricity made my hair stand straight up. Purple balls of plasma rolling off the mountains. And much more. Ok my fingers tired and I still suck at typing P.S sorry about all the periods. I dropped out in the 7 th grade and got all my learning from reading the entire encyclopedia britanica. But skipped punctuations. Boooring. I was to interested in comets. Ok got go clean the lens on my 40″ homemade binocular scope. Ttyl.

bob · November 24, 2014 at 02:25

You know dam good and well comets are comprised of material found on earth and mars. And they do not sublimate. The sun acts as either a negative cathode or positive and charges the comet cathode.thus lighting the comet and its tail. Water in space ??? Cmon. I could go on and on and on but I cant type worth a crud. Try another theory.

    admin · November 24, 2014 at 09:05

    Hi Bob, thanks for your comment. I’ll some evidence before I accept what you’re claiming.

LLuviaamezcua · November 4, 2014 at 02:04

What is the mass????

    admin · November 4, 2014 at 10:05

    We don’t have any measured value for that I’m afraid. The mass of a comet nucleus can only be measured by sending a spacecraft to it and we never had the chance with this comet.

Nabha313 · August 21, 2014 at 13:52

Was this website written by a 3 year old ???

    admin · August 22, 2014 at 07:39

    Why do you think that?

Battzion · June 24, 2014 at 22:19

This article is very inaccurate. We, indeed, did go through the comet’s tail. We have its dust and ice on the outside of our atmosphere as we speak. It will slowly make its way down over the next few years.

    admin · June 25, 2014 at 11:45

    That sounds fascinating, can you provide details of where you heard this?

John Silvester · May 25, 2014 at 17:01

First, comet ISON, is related to the Phoenix, or Phenix.
Comet ISON, seen through NASA cameras november 27-30, assumes the shape of a christ, or a bird, with wings, or a bow shape. if you search up the november Constellation, which is the constellation of a horse half man with a bow and arrow.
Comet ISON assumes the shape of a bird/bow/christ some distance before it collides with the sun.
There is proof if you look at the nasa website video of Comet ISON, link here: http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/hotshots/index.html/

Thats my argument, comet ISON is probably the start of a new civilization, Phoenixes…

    admin · May 27, 2014 at 08:54

    You are aware that ISON disintegrated in December 2013. Rather than a phoenix it proved to be a dodo.

alice · April 22, 2014 at 15:47

how fast on average are comets and how long do they take to hit earth oncee they start the journey to the earth

    admin · April 23, 2014 at 08:49

    It’s difficult to give a straightforward answer to that that question because there are different categories of comets with different orbital characteristics, and their speeds will vary with where they are in their orbits.

    A comet far from the Sun will be moving much slower with respect to the Sun than when it gets closer to the Sun. Sungrazing comets have been measured moving at 366 miles per second (586 km/s). This was within 78 000 miles (125 000 km) of the Sun’s surface. At the other extreme, a comet in the Oort Cloud tens of thousands of times further from the Sun than Earth would be moving at only a few hundred km/h. A new comet from the Oort Cloud might take tens of thousands of years to travel from there to the inner Solar System.

    A comet crossing the Earth’s orbit could possibly hit our planet, such a comet would be moving at a maximum speed of 43 km/s (this would be incredibly rare). But earth is moving too at 30 km/s. So depending on the direction of approach the impact speed could be 13-73 km/s). The Impact Effect Calculator website suggests 51 km/s as a typical comet impact speed.

    I hope this has answered your question.

DeerLegs43 · January 2, 2014 at 08:48

Hey it’s already the 3rd day in January 2014,I heard tht there is going to be a shower and the tail of it is deadly

JM · December 26, 2013 at 00:37

Will the dust cover the arhmosphere?any effect?

JM · December 25, 2013 at 01:35

Will the dust cover our atmosphere?will that be a problem

Andrew · December 16, 2013 at 06:53

I am very worried that the debris is big, and the government is keeping it away from us… Is any of it a big danger threat!? :/

    admin · December 16, 2013 at 09:45

    Please don’t worry, the remains of ISON (which are basically just a cloud of dust and gravel) will never come any closer than 64 million km to our planet. There is nothing to worry about.

    admin · December 16, 2013 at 09:51

    It’s not going to cause a meteor shower as it’s not coming near Earth.

Andrew · December 16, 2013 at 06:49

Admin, is any of the debris going to hit earth – and if so, how big are they, and would it create a meteor shower? And one more question. Is comet ISON A threat to us? In anyway such us the dust/debris? Thanks for your patience!

Jeff · December 9, 2013 at 13:41

Why is it so difficult for scientists to not tell the truth with what a comet really is? I understand when they had little data to come up with the snowball theory since water vapor is a by product of collecting hydrogen atoms within its nucleus HO+H = H2O which spread water vapor, dust, rocks and a host of other elements plus sometimes cyanide gas in its debris trail.

Many educated people believe with new data that the nucleus is hot, hence all ice would be melted inside a comet, many telescopes view heat signatures emitting from comets and stars. All comets thus far that survived close encounters with our sun can come back periodically with a tail once again after supposedly having ice melt away. If comets were primarily ice, and they make it to the sun at +6000 degrees, there is no way an ice ball would ever survive such extreme temperatures.

To me this lack of telling truth with such evidence to disprove the snowball theory is the same as when scientist thought the world was flat only to be proven wrong. Individuals who went against the status quo were labeled as incompetent in the field of science just as it is today.

Another question is, Why are we getting data about the nucleus size when we should be getting the total size of such objects? If we are to believe that there is not even a snowballs chance, (I like the pun) of anything ever hitting us in our life time, then true data wouldn’t matter on the size of some enormous comets.

Bottom line is, if the government which funds many outer space projects from tax payer money would stop freezing live images so people cant see true data and shutting down telescopes and data links, then people would believe what is being told to them better.

    admin · December 10, 2013 at 15:22

    Why is it so difficult for scientists to not tell the truth with what a comet really is?

    I find this comment a tad insulting as there are, to the best of my knowledge, no untruths in these posts. Please point out where we are not telling the truth.

    I understand when they had little data to come up with the snowball theory since water vapor is a by product of collecting hydrogen atoms within its nucleus HO+H = H2O which spread water vapor, dust, rocks and a host of other elements plus sometimes cyanide gas in its debris trail.

    I am not sure what you are trying to say here. It’s a fact that comet nuclei come from a very cold region of the Solar System. It’s a fact that a comet nucleus moving closer to the Sun emits a coma and usually a tail too. It’s a fact there is water (and many other compounds) in comet tails. By far the easiest way to tie these together is to assume that there is ice in the nucleus which sublimates as the solar heat falling on it increases.

    Many educated people believe with new data that the nucleus is hot, hence all ice would be melted inside a comet, many telescopes view heat signatures emitting from comets and stars.

    Detecting signs of heat from stars is what we would have expected, isn’t it? While I agree a sungrazer comet’s nucleus will be warmed by the Sun’s rays, I’ve never heard anyone claim comet nuclei in general are hot.

    All comets thus far that survived close encounters with our sun can come back periodically with a tail once again after supposedly having ice melt away. If comets were primarily ice, and they make it to the sun at +6000 degrees, there is no way an ice ball would ever survive such extreme temperatures.

    You do know it’s the Sun’s surface which is at 6000 deg C? No comet could survive that! Some larger sungrazers have survived multiple perihelion passes, presumably because they never got hot enough to entirely “thaw out”.

    To me this lack of telling truth with such evidence to disprove the snowball theory is the same as when scientist thought the world was flat only to be proven wrong. Individuals who went against the status quo were labeled as incompetent in the field of science just as it is today.

    You are not making a very compelling case in my opinion. Rather than appealing to emotion, how about some evidence?

    Another question is, Why are we getting data about the nucleus size when we should be getting the total size of such objects? If we are to believe that there is not even a snowballs chance, (I like the pun) of anything ever hitting us in our life time, then true data wouldn’t matter on the size of some enormous comets.

    Again, you do understand that the nucleus is the solid bit, the bits that do hit planets?

    May I just ask what are you expecting the Rosetta mission to discover at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko next year?

    Bottom line is, if the government which funds many outer space projects from tax payer money would stop freezing live images so people cant see true data and shutting down telescopes and data links, then people would believe what is being told to them better.

    Again, I am not sure what you are talking about here.

Janie +Roger · December 5, 2013 at 23:30

They came on the view talk show and told everybody to be very worried there is a asteroid going to hit the earth any day and they do not know when my ? Is why isn’t the goverment and our president warning the public people about this everybody should be in there bibles and praying against this and having that one on one relation ship with God this will be the last time you hear from me because people should not be waisting there time on web sites like this and asking ?’s ! Jesus peace, comfort, healing, joy, prayers, Jesus bible always be with you all!
Thank you!
Have a blessed day!

    admin · December 6, 2013 at 10:25

    Dear Janie, please do not be alarmed. Yes, it is inevitable a large and destructive asteroid or comet will collide with Earth one day in the future but the chances of it happening in our lifetimes is very, very low. I certainly do not worry about it. There is nothing to warn the public about. Currently astronomers are searching the skies for potentially dangerous objects and this is a sensible precaution.

    I don’t know anything about the View talk show, I don’t believe it is shown in this country, but I think I found a clip of what you saw on online at their site> It was broadcast on 5 December 2013 and featured Bill Nye and Whoopi Goldberg. I’m shocked at how childish and sensationalised the item was. I would not take that seriously at all.

    Please not worry about this!

WhoKnows · December 2, 2013 at 12:29

Hi

Do we have a recent update for today about the comet path, after it appeared agin ?
we need to know if any un-expected behaviour happen after the sun rendevouz.

    admin · December 2, 2013 at 12:59

    It’s orbital path is unchanged so I didn’t really see a need to update it!

Leon · December 2, 2013 at 05:54

Hello admin.

Forgive me for going straight to the point but recently, I have heard about an old prophecy that explains about Hercolubus heading toward Earth (similar to the Nibiru / Planet X theory). I mean I am a person of logic but I can’t help but feel a bit fearful when I hear about it, I think it’s the hypochondria kicking in but I take it, just like Nibiru, that this is another story / hoax made up? At least I hope it is.

I am mainly asking to put my nerves at ease, now the ISON Doomsday thing has passed, this is the latest news to pop up.

Thank you for your time.

    admin · December 2, 2013 at 10:31

    I am sorry that you are worried about this, but I am happy to tell you that your fears are groundless. There is no planet or star called Hercolubus or ancient prophesies about it, as far as I know it was made up in the year 1999 by an author called V. M. Rabolu. This nonsense has been utterly debunked.

    You are right to say that this is more made up nonsense like Nibiru.

      Leon · December 2, 2013 at 14:20

      Thank you admin! I knew it was a bit silly reading it and almost believing in it, I just needed a professional’s opinion to put my mind at ease.

      Thank you again!

Matt · December 2, 2013 at 00:01

All very interesting stuff indeed, i’ve just read this whole thread and its very interesting and quite entertaining too 😉 i think richard was saying that peoples ability to memorize what they’re told and spew it back is the way we decide who’s succesful and who is not these days (or always has been) but it shouldn’t be. Kids aren’t tought to question what they’re told but just accept it as truth, which isn’t a good idea, seems like a bit of a communist way of teaching if you ask me. Which is kinda what your doing with your “this is how it is” sort of answers, although you are probably correct, i don’t think it’s the right way to get people to the same conclusions as yourself. I’d also like to note tour response ro tuco44, this person raised some interesting points, and i was looking forward to your response on that one, i was disappointed to read it though 🙁 people try to do there own research on these subjects, but really in this age of internet garbage and corrupt governments and officials, how is the layman such as myself to know who to trust anymore? In my opinion nasa faked the moon landings and 911 was a false flag attack, i mean even when the evil doers admit these attrocities ( tonkin bay etc) people still refuse to believe that could happen and rather than look up things for themseles just shout “crazy conspiricist loons” so the ignorance is both sides of the fence on most issues. Life is a series of moments imo and you can only guess at what will happen based on what has happened before, as i said earlier you are probably correct in your assumptions/predictions as that is the way things have happened before but you cannot be 100% certain, and you have to accept that there’s at least a possibility however small that you could be wrong. You don’t know for sure that ison will not be deflected our way by an asteroid we don’t know exists yet (like the one over russia, nobody saw coming), not that i think it will but you get my point i’m sure. I’m not trying to scare-monger, as you put it, just trying to be open minded, it’s all quite an interesting topic to me. 😉

    admin · December 3, 2013 at 13:24

    Thanks for your comments, I’ve briefly responded to the most important points you raised.

    i think richard was saying that peoples ability to memorize what they’re told and spew it back is the way we decide who’s succesful and who is not these days (or always has been) but it shouldn’t be. Kids aren’t tought to question what they’re told but just accept it as truth, which isn’t a good idea

    I would agree with your last words, but I have no idea where you live but I see no evidence locally of schools demanding merely rote learning.

    Which is kinda what your doing with your “this is how it is” sort of answers, although you are probably correct, i don’t think it’s the right way to get people to the same conclusions as yourself.

    I’m sorry you think that, but people are asking me questions which I’m trying to answer based on my knowledge. Would you be happier if I just responded to every query about this comet with a list of textbooks on astronomy and said “Read these, the answer is in them”?

    in this age of internet garbage and corrupt governments and officials, how is the layman such as myself to know who to trust anymore?

    If you can find an era when there were no corrupt governments and officials, I’d be amazed! But you are right that the internet is full of garbage, luckily there also some wonderful resources too. I find the modern idea that home-made YouTube videos are an utterly reliable source of information hard to understand. I also don’t understand why so few people actually read books and journals any more, I find them usually the most reliable sources.

    In my opinion nasa faked the moon landings

    I’m afraid that’s your own problem. Do you ever wonder why not a single astronomer, space scientist, spacecraft engineer, planetary geologist or historian anywhere in the world agrees with you?

    you have to accept that there’s at least a possibility however small that you could be wrong. You don’t know for sure that ison will not be deflected our way by an asteroid we don’t know exists

    You are not seeing how absurd this sounds to astronomers. We know how gravity works, what you are saying cannot happen. It’s like somebody living in Kansas worrying about a rock falling off Mount Everest, bouncing around the world and landing on their house. I hope you agree that situation is impossible, the idea that this comet could suddenly veer into a collision course with Earth is equally impossible.

Chris Cooper · December 1, 2013 at 11:34

Will there be an annual meteor strom each January as a result of Isons dust trail?
chris

    admin · December 2, 2013 at 11:04

    No sorry, this won’t happen, ISON was making a one and only visit to the inner Solar System and unlike regularly returning periodic comets it didn’t release enough material to cause a shower.

Scott · November 29, 2013 at 23:38

When I was a child, I read in textbooks that for hundreds, even thousands of years prior, people saw comets as omens of disaster to come; but, we now understand they are simply celestial bodies and are nothing more than pretty. After reading so many of the questions and opinions in this forum, I’d say many people remain fundamentally primitive in their thinking. Though they exist in the modern age and can operate a computer with which to make comments and ask questions on this forum, they are motivated by their irrational primitive fear based Lizard Brain. The basic tenant of an education, to think beyond fear and superstition, is lost on them. So much so that it is not possible to maintain an intelligent conversation based on calculation, deduction and objective observation. I think what we are seeing is the early stages of the human species dividing. The fear and superstition group will return to yelling, screaming, running barefoot through mud in fear of being eaten and climb back into the trees, and the other group will, well, hmmm… how do I put it… if you’re in this later group you already know what is going to happen so I need not say it here.

Niquenak · November 29, 2013 at 21:25

UN Deliberate Mistake please note I meant Great Bear Ursa Major in my recent post !

Jenn · November 28, 2013 at 12:48

If ISON survives how long will it take to orbit the sun?

Aine · November 26, 2013 at 12:01

Comet ISON is coming. Wow! I am looking forward to it. I don’t know whether it is really a comet or whether is it a gas giant but one thing I do know……I can’t do anything to halt it. I don’t trust those who do have information regarding threats from space but hey perhaps they are just ensuring that mass panic does not ensure the announcement of Ison’s true nature. Maybe the Annunaki are following it……NOT! maybe it will throw bacteria at us although wouldn’t the scorching heat kill any bacteria? But why worry we can’t do anything
to halt it…..so be it. I think it is just a comet which will come and go; but we humans just love a bit of drama makes life a bit more exciting 🙂 What will be will be just like it has been since the beginning of time…..we are just another page in the book of life………..

vincent · November 25, 2013 at 00:04

so @admin are you telling me that you disagree that after its perihelion we will spend almost 2 weeks in it’s tail.

    admin · November 25, 2013 at 10:23

    Yes I disagree that the the Earth will spend almost two weeks in Comet ISON’s tail. But it’s not just me, the whole Universe disagrees with that idea!

    Ask yourself how that could work. The comet is moving, the Earth is moving too, the comet’s tail is always oriented directly away from the Sun but the comet is not fixed exactly between the Earth and Sun, the comet’s tail is less than 10 million km long while at perihelion the Earth is 150 million km from the comet.

    It can’t happen.

Richard · November 24, 2013 at 18:11

Like most ‘mainstream’ scientists today who are usually biased towards just the one possibility which supports their funding, your arrogance and ignorance seem to emerge as the same thing.
I find it astonishing that the people we call scientists today seem to be the most close-minded and blind people you can get. This is the problem when credentials are measured in our society via someones ability to memorise and repeat which is a totally flawed approach. Memory is no measure of someones real intellectual abilities which is as fundamental to science as mathematics.

The reason for my attack is because of the way you portray assumptions as fact. I could point each of them out but I will end up almost re-writing your whole article. If your honest with yourself, you will know exactly what I mean.

One assumption I will point out that made me quite angry was the way you totally ignored any possibility that ISON could impact Earth. In fact, you arrogantly and ignorantly stated that Comet ISON, “presents no danger at all to life on Earth. Absolutely none. There is not even the most minute chance that it could collide with our planet” Then you have the audacity to suggest that, “anyone who says otherwise is completely misinformed.” I mean, HOW DARE YOU! Just because you do not posses the intellectual ability to be able to comprehend how Comet ISON could pose a risk to Earth, it does not give you the right to misinform your readers.

Clearly, your incapable of comprehending how ISON could cause problems for Earth so let me point out just a few. NOBODY knows with any certainly where ISON will exit it’s perihelion of the sun. There are guesses and again assumptions but NOBODY can say with any certainty what will happen. For goodness sake, nobody knows if ISON is even going to make it all the way around the Sun so pretending to be able to predict it’s exit point is a TOTAL lie based on a GUESS. To even start to be able to calculate the exit point, you would need a lot more data on ISON than we have, not to mention the unpredictability of the SUN. There are just so many different factors at play with countless variables anyone who claims they know ANYTHING about ISON’s exit route is misinformed, probably due to their own arrogance and ignorance as I have pointed out. Of course anything is possible, your expected exit point could be spot-on correct but it could also be wrong. Due to the unpredictable nature of the sun as well as the UNKNOWN composition of comet ISON, events could occur during perihelion that forces the comet to exit much later than expected, sending it towards Earth. Yes, it probably won’t happen, but my point is, it COULD happen so please stop dismissing it as nonsense because it only makes you sound like an idiot.
Then we have the dangers of Earth traveling through the debris left by the comet in 2014, this is another potential problem that everyone is ignoring.

All I ask is you stop misleading people and start being HONEST. Real science demands honesty, not wrapping everything in cotton wool thinking your the only people who can handle hearing the truth, that’s just your arrogance talking.

    admin · November 25, 2013 at 10:58

    Dear Richard, I don’t mind you insulting me, sticks and stones and so on. I am not interested in arguing back with you as you clearly have a philosophy which you are living to and I wish you every happiness with your choice. I’m going to briefly respond to some of the things you said for the benefit of other readers, but you don’t have to read them.

    …credentials are measured in our society via someones ability to memorise and repeat which is a totally flawed approach. Memory is no measure of someones real intellectual abilities which is as fundamental to science as mathematics.

    I have no idea why you think memorising facts is central to science, that’s why we have libraries. Rather science is about the joyful processes of proposing new ideas, experimentation and observation.

    One assumption I will point out that made me quite angry was the way you totally ignored any possibility that ISON could impact Earth. In fact, you arrogantly and ignorantly stated that Comet ISON, “presents no danger at all to life on Earth. Absolutely none. There is not even the most minute chance that it could collide with our planet” Then you have the audacity to suggest that, “anyone who says otherwise is completely misinformed.” I mean, HOW DARE YOU! Just because you do not posses the intellectual ability to be able to comprehend how Comet ISON could pose a risk to Earth, it does not give you the right to misinform your readers.

    Just to get this out of the way, I never deliberately misinform our readers. Point out anything I said which is erroneous and I will fix it, read through other blog entries and you will see I clearly do this and that I thank anyone who points out any errors. Back to your main point, I don’t regard it as arrogant to downplay the risks of impossible events. I do not understand why you think I should support scaremongering over things that cannot happen. Comet ISON (as a whole or in fragments) will not collide with Earth, it is a fact. Nor will anyone on Earth be bitten by a werewolf, exsanguinated by a vampire, exterminated by a dalek or stepped on by a dragon. Worrying or spreading concern about imaginary things is stupid.

    NOBODY knows with any certainly where ISON will exit it’s perihelion of the sun.

    Sorry but everyone with any knowledge at all of orbits knows within a few thousand km and a few seconds where and when ISON’s position at perihelion will be. That shows two of the strengths of science; it’s egalitarian, anyone prepared to make the effort can participate and get the right answer, and even more importantly it works.

    Then we have the dangers of Earth traveling through the debris left by the comet in 2014

    This isn’t going to happen, nor is it dangerous.

    Scott · November 30, 2013 at 05:01

    There are the few who learn calculus, differential equations, and orbital mechanics and then there is vast majority of everybody else who is incapable of deriving such things. The mathematics used to launch rockets to put satellites into orbit are the same used to describe the orbit of ISON. Regardless of whether ISON remains intact or not is irrelevant, there is mass with a velocity and it will follow its orbital path. Water ice can be vaporized by the Sun, and will disperse into space, but solid material will continue to march along the same path. It isn’t like it can suddenly made a right turn on Wilshire Boulevard.

Rhandell Mitchell · November 24, 2013 at 06:52

I had not heard about this comet until a few minutes ago while I was on facebook and saw some lady ranting and raving about this comet and the imminent danger that we are all in from the debris that allegedly is going to be falling to the earth from the comet’s tail.

I did some research and could not find a lot of information in regard to this incident that mentioned anything about a potential threat, but the lady has me a little paranoid.

According to her the danger is supposed to be greatest around Jan 14th – 16th.

Regardless of whether there is any danger from it or not. I still think all this astronomy are pretty cool.

Riiah · November 24, 2013 at 00:45

http://www.disclose.tv/action/viewvideo/157674/ISON_Has_Grown_Wings_ice_meltingCheck_out_Crop_circles_exact_same_as_ISON_2013_HD/#DTV

This has the most clear images I found, just think it’s intriguing!

Henry albagli · November 23, 2013 at 16:52

I just want to thank you, while there are so many profiters on the internet posting stories of gloom & doom death & destruction in order to get hits on their websites which translates into dollars, it’s good to know there’s people out there that value their reputation more than few bucks. P.s. If you wrong, we’ll at least I slept well until then.

    Richard · November 24, 2013 at 18:30

    Ahh Bless.
    Need your security blanket. Cute.

Tuco44 · November 22, 2013 at 01:07

Admin

Me again. Just read your article on the 8 myths of Apollo 11. I was excited as you were supplying me with exactly what I had been looking for, pics of the landing site. BIG LET DOWN. The picture from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is another example of exactly what I was referring to earlier. NASA releases a photo that is truly not definitive. All the hype, hoaxes and conspiracies over the years and this is what we get from them? I have been waiting for that pic for 35 years. NASA SUKS. Can you honestly say with 100% certainty that this is the landing site? We know they have the technology to read a postage stamp from an earth satellite through an atmosphere. They have the tech but chose not to use it. Why? I mean it was only the most sacred step for all mankind? Who needs a closeup of that? By the way you got pretty good eyes if you can see footprints in that photo.

I watched it live on TV, I know about the Lunar Laser Ranging Retroreflector and have seen it working (youtube), read many, many articles & books, have seen interviews with some of the astronauts, and yes many, many conspiracy/debunking the conspiracy shows/articles as well. But just like religion, someone needs to show me the proof before I become a true believer. I am a printer and graphic artist by trade (35+ yrs) and that photograph would not hold up as proof of any kind in any court of law. This may explain to you why I am skeptical as my professional opinion is that some, many of NASAs photos have been manipulated in the past. With the advent of computers and photoshop processing power, it makes the newer photos easier to manipulate and harder to prove any changes. Gimme a clean moonscape photo and I give you the Apollo 11 landing site as presented by you and NASA in 20 minutes. However, the old photo manipulations that were stripped by hand are easy to see. Poor quality photo means super big pixels. Very hard to manipulate as NASA has shown us. Many of these old photos have now been replaced or removed by NASA and are no longer in circulation. I have read this is common practice for the rover(s) photos from Mars as well.

Are there better photos from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter or better photos from any other source to be found that you know of?

Also I dont believe the coke bottle theory has totally been discounted yet. Something about 2 broadcasts, relay stations, video technology and 20 min delay. Phone calls to the Australian TV station by viewers asking about the bottle and newspaper articles about it the next day. Her story seemingly gets verified by reputable sources. Also, the video circulating on youtube is not the same one I saw some years ago. The one I saw had a clearly visible coke bottle being removed. I knowz what i sawz. I watched at least 100 times.

Sorry, me big pain in butt.
I really dont care one way or the other, I just wanna know the truth.

Thx Much, Todd

    admin · November 22, 2013 at 09:13

    I really dont care one way or the other, I just wanna know the truth.

    I’m sorry but you don’t seem to really want the truth. If you did you would do the research yourself using sources which do not just affirm your preconceptions.

      Riiah · November 24, 2013 at 00:36

      Hi! I’ve seen the information of the comets recent “wings” growing outward from it… Very beautiful! There’s been a few videos and blog/different “informational” posts I’ve seen that elude to there being other comets with wings like these… Would they be related in where they came from, or what they do?

        admin · November 25, 2013 at 11:35

        The ‘wings’ are formed from jets of gas and dust erupting from under the surface of the comet’s nucleus. Wings isn’t really accurate as they’re really the sides of a hood-shaped structure around the head of the comet. This isn’t unique, for example Hale-Bopp had a similar feature, so did several 19th century comets like Coggia’s Comet and the Great Comet of 1861.

vera · November 21, 2013 at 20:39

What time will it b visible in nigeria?

    admin · November 21, 2013 at 21:07

    Before dawn in the south-eastern sky. Good luck!

vera · November 21, 2013 at 20:30

hope this will not hv any effect on the. Weather?

    admin · November 21, 2013 at 21:04

    Absolutely none, it’s never going to be closer than 64 million km to our planet.

Tuco44 · November 21, 2013 at 16:04

Dear Admin

Awesome work Sir. Thank You for the insight on ISON. I live in Western Canada, so where should I be looking for it in the morning sky?

Could you please tell me what heavenly body (perhaps as big as Jupiter) was referred to in many news articles from 1981-1984. (Google Mystery heavenly body) Did it ever exist? If so, where has it gone?

Could you please tell me what all those orbs are that are moving around on various space shuttle missions? Many videos on youtube. Specifically the first ones found by a Canadian TV network in British Columbia that NASA denied existed. Oops caught in another lie.

Could you please give your opinion on the “leaked” NASA doc referred to as “The End of Mankind”. Its currently all over youtube. Does it exist, was if ever on the NASA’s website as she stated? If yes, what do you have to say about NASA and its transparency?

Lastly, could you please give your opinion on the weakening of the earth’s magnetic field and its current distortion, relative to pole swap. Are the poles quickening their pace as has been presented in various articles?

Also, please don’t downplay peoples desire to find the truth. Modern media doesn’t give you the straight stick on anything anymore. That’s just a fact. They have cried wolf and/or lied too many times. The government and most media sources are in collusion, actually one in the same. That’s just a fact. Reporters simply read the text that has been “leaked” to them by the gov. Not very many true investigative reporters/reports anymore. That’s just a fact. If the powers that be don’t like you, they simply assassinate you and/or illegally try to shut your mouth. Cant deny that, its just a fact. Yes people need to use filters, like you, and thank you for that, but they need the information to filter first.

As for NASA, it does absolutely nothing to help itself. Secrecy only breeds contempt. Being a gov funded org only multiplies the problem. Personally I believe it started with a lie about the first moon landing and since has trickled into or been part of NASA culture ever since. I mean they are part of the government, and what makes you think they can/would be any different than any other gov department/agency? Just obvious logic to me. For ex, they could have easily sent a probe to the moon to disprove the first moon landing hoax. How about pointing a satellite or telescope and give me just one shot of the first landing site and its debris field. That’s all I want. The Chinese mapped the moon in its entirety by lunar satellite. Where’s my moon landing shots?

What have they done to explain the space shuttle/orb videos on youtube? Lights over Washington in the 1950’s, lots of pics released by NASA over the years have definitely been doctored/altered. Why are some pics from Mars superbly sharp and definitive, but the likes for example of the famous glass tube, are ALL so grainy and seemingly out of focus. I could go on, but I hope you see my point. Admin, you have to admit, NASA causes most of the grief themselves. The question is why? Are they hiding something? See what I mean?

Anyways Koodoos for being a very professional, knowledgeable and objective filter. Keep up the good work

    admin · November 22, 2013 at 09:29

    For Comet ISON’s position, see Where Is Comet ISON In The Sky?

    As for the rest of your query, I’m sorry to tell you that everything you think you know is wrong. It is not up to me to re-educate you, instead I urge you not just to accept anything and everything you see on websites or YouTube videos, you need to seek the answers yourself. Go to a library and explore the astronomy, space history and space technology sections, subscribe to magazines such as Astronomy, Spaceflight and Sky & Telescope, join an astronomy club, go to their meetings and talk with their members, take binoculars and a starchart out side and learn what’s in the night sky, take evening classes in astronomy if there are any in your area.

    Paranoid conspiracy theories are stupid and depressing while the real worlds of astronomy and space exploration are marvelous, thought-provoking and inspirational.

davian johnson · November 21, 2013 at 05:23

Dear admin,

For the past months I been doing amateur research on the comet ison.I use youtube and
Google. A lot of lies have been tossed around and some information that has been tossed around makes sense. You answered a lot of my questions already, so thank you for putting my mind at ease but I have a few more if you dont mind answering them.

1) Currently ison has had another burst of energy and developed whats looks like wings around the nucleus. Sumerian tablets would show the same type of image in there tablets. I find this quite interesting because there astronomers were very percise just like we are. The only difference the time difference. They had no hubble telescope or any modern technology like yet they predicted more planets existed in our solar system without these tools and were correct. My first question to you would be, if what they show on these tablets of a object or in theory something outta anything we ever seen beofore with wings inside a round ball that was placed in the sky could our ancient astronomers be on to something? Just google summerian wings tablets there images are pretty intriguing. (Also please do not quote any mayans calendar 2012 nonsense. I believe this is more believable just because we can see this conspiracy with our eyes and it is not man made.

2. Ison Is made out of ice and other compounds as I read in your forum. Even if a solar flare was to happen, since we are running on speculations. What would happen if it did hit the earth? I was watching a video and a astronomer said we just missed one coming close to earth and If it had flared out months later , it could have hit the earth and caused some damage.

3.Also on the topic of isons tail you said it has no chance of hitting earth in 2014 jan. I will have to disagree. My evidence is facts. With russias metorite entering the atmosphere ot caused so much damage and we could not detect it. Why, nasa said there are billions of debris in our solar system and the technology we have can not pick up all debris. Especially smaller ones. They said they would need a infrared satellite to pick all of it up. I understand the debris from ison will follow it whether or not it is destroyed by the son but hypethetically if it happened to russia cant it happen else where?

4. Last question. Going back to ancient astronomers
If these people can develop perfect symetry with prymaids and the stars. Develop outstanding knowledge about astrology, can there informatiom be misleading. I believe the past illuminates the present but I dont want to be misguided. If you can debunk there astrology then I will be a firm believer In what I read in thos forum. Oh yea they predicted a extra planet too. I dont think there lying when they put it there in the tablets.

Thank you for reading. Please email me if you have spare time for some questions. I love to learn new ideologys then what I find so believing.

    admin · November 21, 2013 at 13:23

    Dear Davian, thank you for your questions. I have to be brief.

    Sumerian tablets would show the same type of image in there tablets. I find this quite interesting because there astronomers were very percise just like we are. The only difference the time difference. They had no hubble telescope or any modern technology like yet they predicted more planets existed in our solar system without these tools and were correct.

    I am afraid everything you think you know about Sumerian astronomy is wrong. Sumerian astronomical records are recorded on cuneiform writings -without illustrations- on tablets. These are easily read by scholars today, The Sumerians knew only Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. They had no concept of the Solar System as it is known today.

    Just google summerian wings tablets there images are pretty intriguing.

    OK, but so what? There is nothing that looks like a comet. Winged symbols are common through human cultures right up to military insignia today, but there’s no links to comets.

    What would happen if it did hit the earth?

    I take it you mean a coronal mass ejection? Well we might get a nice auroral display. But also see The Looming Threat of a Solar Superstorm for a more alarmist opinion.

    Also on the topic of isons tail you said it has no chance of hitting earth in 2014 jan. I will have to disagree. My evidence is facts. With russias metorite entering the atmosphere ot caused so much damage and we could not detect it. Why, nasa said there are billions of debris in our solar system and the technology we have can not pick up all debris. Especially smaller ones. They said they would need a infrared satellite to pick all of it up. I understand the debris from ison will follow it whether or not it is destroyed by the son but hypethetically if it happened to russia cant it happen else where?

    We could be hit by another unexpected event like the Russian meteor, true, but I do not know how to say this more clearly, we are not going to be hit by any part of comet ISON. From this to happen everything we have learned about orbital mechanics since the 1600s would have to be wrong.

    If you can debunk there astrology

    Astrology is nonsense. Every time science has tested astrology it has failed. See this link.

    I hope this helps.

      Tuco44 · November 21, 2013 at 17:24

      I think he meant astronomy not astrology

caitlyn · November 18, 2013 at 21:28

Admin,
I am a very panic stricken person and I feel that my open-mindedness is a flaw of mine because I believe everything, basically, and I know youtube is not reliable and due to my anxiety I also believe the media is used to keep us in fear so we find comfort and safety and look to the government for help. ( these fears were all caused by the claims and media, news, scientific discoveries that are Being put on tv and youtube for the world to hear). So Going on to my question I just wanted to remind you that I heard this on youtube. Yesterday actually I heard a “scientist” ( I dont remember What field) but she said that when ISON came from the outter system to the inner system it kicked up a bunch of debris from, Im guessing, the asteroid belt, and that there is still large debris following ison and that we could be hit. Im not saying we will be hit by debris but I believe that claim more than ison being the object that actually hit us ( which is What everyone seems to be worried about from What I read on these comments) can you reassure me of the possibilities or impossibility of this claim, because, although I should not be, I am very fearful.
Also I know this sounds crazy and due to my fears and I dont want to bring up something that sounds like something out of a science fiction movie, but youtube, once agian, said something about “nebru” being a “second Sun” or “God” ( Im not trying to put religion into science but Its something I also believe in, and this is MY personal question) but scientifically speaking could this second Sun be possible? It sounds so bizzar but Im just worried, sometimes if people are not educated in a certain subject such as astronomy it is scary to try and trust other peoples information if its not our own. The unknown is scary., but thrilling all the same. Thankyou.

    admin · November 19, 2013 at 11:06

    Dear Caitlyn, I am happy to tell you that the story you heard about Comet ISON causing debris to hit Earth is completely false. Any stories you hear about “second suns” are also untrue.

    There are so many wonderful things to see in the sky, please don’t be frightened, just enjoy them!

rita@ritarobbie.co.uk · November 17, 2013 at 10:40

I would dearly love to see this comet. Will it be visible in th Turkish sky as Turkey is where I’ll be when it comes over. If visible there can you tell me when during the night or day I need to look. Looking forward to your reply, Rita

    admin · November 18, 2013 at 17:06

    Look in the south east before sunrise is the quick answer, on the morning of the 19th the comet will be close in the sky to the bright bluish star Spica, Hope that helps!

      sudhir · November 19, 2013 at 11:48

      How much material is released from these comets for forming the tails?

        admin · November 19, 2013 at 14:06

        It varies from comet to comet and with their distance from the Sun, in June ISON was shedding about 1000 tonnes of CO2 per day (plus lots of other material), According to Vanderbilt University

        The peak “mass loss rate” for Comet Halley was 30 tons/second of gas and 24 tons/second of gas (ice).

        Loss rates of 0.5, 1.1, and 0.8 Mg S-1 (equivalent to 43200 tonnes per day, 95040 tonnes per day and 69120 tonnes per day) have also been measured.

        I hope this helps you.

          Sudhir · November 19, 2013 at 16:39

          Yes .Thanks! Does that means after many rounds of Sun the comets will shed most of their mass?

Kassie · November 16, 2013 at 17:19

Thank you for answering my question admin. I have one more. Is there any proof that it will not harm us?

    admin · November 18, 2013 at 16:06

    It will not harm anyone on Earth. It will never be closer than 64 million km from us.

Cristiana · November 15, 2013 at 12:15

What about the solar explosions that this comet is most likely to produce? I heard and I know that when a comet is coming very close to the sun it generates solar explosions (the sun). Because this comet is bigger than many others that passed near the sun in the last years, it is very likely to produce massive solar explosions that could affect all our energy and communication systems. Is it true? How big is the possibility for a such situation?

    admin · November 18, 2013 at 16:23

    What about the solar explosions that this comet is most likely to produce? I heard and I know that when a comet is coming very close to the sun it generates solar explosions (the sun)

    Sadly, you have been misinformed, comets do not cause explosions on the Sun.

    Because this comet is bigger than many others that passed near the sun in the last years

    The nucleus of ISON is actually rather small.

    it is very likely to produce massive solar explosions that could affect all our energy and communication systems

    This is not going to happen, I’m afraid you have been told stories invented by people who enjoy or profit from making up alarming stories.

    I hope this has helped.

Enowil · November 15, 2013 at 08:59

I’m continually amazed by the sheer numbers of gullible naysayers out there who through their own ignorance are genially afraid of the unknown. You’d think that in the twenty-first century people would be more informed, less superstitious, more critical thinking than in the dark ages. Then they’re the others who take advantage to these less fortunate souls just to line their pockets. It’s a sad commentary on the state of science education in our country today.

    Enowil · November 15, 2013 at 09:19

    I obviously meant genuine, not genially. Sorry.

nick · November 14, 2013 at 21:10

well i have no idea why anyone would worry if it meant the end of the world because it would be precisely that.. and no amount of worry would change an inevitable outcome,, but for us its lucky because the end of the world may happen but not yet… maybe the woman who “discovered” planet X will receive another message from her friendly aliens in the zeta reticuli galaxy?

KS · November 14, 2013 at 13:02

Hi Colin.

Thanks for being patient with us! =D I had written to you on this website during comet Elenin and dwarf suns. Is there a chance that our sun could actually be harbouring an elliptically orbiting ‘twin’? If so, what is the probability there is? Im sure we are technologically enhanced enough to know whether bodies like these exist.
Also, Professor James McCanney has been saying on several websites that Mars now has a tail after interaction with Comet Ison. Does an ‘interaction’ between the gravitational force of a planet and magnetic field (if any) of the comet have significant/small effects on both or either of the bodies?

Thanks for your time and I hope you do reply soon for greater clarity in my mind =)

    KS · November 14, 2013 at 13:04

    During comet Elenin, about* dwarf suns*. Sorry that was a typo =P

    admin · November 14, 2013 at 22:57

    Hi, thanks for your questions.

    Is there a chance that our sun could actually be harbouring an elliptically orbiting ‘twin’? If so, what is the probability there is? Im sure we are technologically enhanced enough to know whether bodies like these exist.

    Modern observations indicate it’s all but impossible for our Sun to be part of a binary system, it would be obvious if the Sun had a companion. We’d see it and its gravitation would noticeably effect the orbits of the planets and comets. If you claim there is a companion star you need to make convoluted arguments why we can’t see or detect it. See the Exploring Pseudo-Astronomy page on this topic.

    Professor James McCanney has been saying on several websites that Mars now has a tail after interaction with Comet Ison.

    This is untrue and McCanney is a very, very unreliable source of astronomical information. See the entry about him at the Cosmophobia site.

    Does an ‘interaction’ between the gravitational force of a planet and magnetic field (if any) of the comet have significant/small effects on both or either of the bodies?

    Gravity and magnetism are similar in many ways but gravity and magnetic fields do not interact with each other all, they are entirely different. Across long distances gravity is far, far stronger than magnetic forces (which are normally so weak they can be ignored). To astronomers gravity is much more important than magnetism. So there is no measurable effects of magnetic fields moving through gravitational fields.

      ashley · November 15, 2013 at 16:26

      Hello Admin i just want to say that i think if NASA had a huge problem with this comet ISON then it would be world wide. America has warnings for everything even if they cause a panic people have to know whats going on. I personally dont think that NASA would give us all the FACTS but i think that they would say something. As of right now NASA hasnt said anything about comet ISON being a huge threat to our planet. I see no reason why people should be worried or panicing. Im 21 years old and i cant wait to see this comet it would be my first one to actually see. Also i would like to talk about this planet X that planet u r correct on that its a myth. People like to scare other people for the fun of it. I hope that comet ISON puts on a show becuase im so excited to see it. The last thing i wanted to talk to u about is how people are being so stubborn to the truth if they want to live in fear that is there thing. What u r doing is trying to explain to them what can happen and what cant happen it is nothing bad i enjoy reading ur comments 🙂

ameya · November 13, 2013 at 15:56

At what time and date I can see the comet in India
Please guide me

    admin · November 14, 2013 at 10:47

    Dear Ameya, at the moment you need to look east before sunrise. The comet is very faint so you will need binoculars at least to see it. From Pune, India at 5.30 am on 15 November 2013, the bright reddish planet Mars will be high in the eastern sky, and directly below it but much lower down will be the bright bluish-white star Spica. Image a line running vertically upwards between Spica and Mars, the comet will line on this line and be about 20% of the line’s length above Spica.

    Note the comet is moving very quickly and will have noticeably move on as the days pass.

    Good luck!

Roy · November 13, 2013 at 11:03

I have viewed many sites, videos and other presentations.
I am not a Scientist or astronomer.

I totally accept Ison in its present state will not impact the Earth but,

If Ison breaks up how can anybody be sure of where the bits will go, if any of the bits change direction by only a fraction of a minute how will this affect the trajectory.

    admin · November 14, 2013 at 10:07

    Dear Roy, when comet nuclei break up, an event which is by no means rare, the fragments do not scatter all over the the Solar System. Instead they continue along the same orbital path as the comet was originally traveling. For example here is Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 which broke into 21 or separate pieces which continued moving in the same direction.

    Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9

    Here is an animation of Comet Schwassmann–Wachmann 3 breaking up in 2006, the animation covers three days, note the fragments do not scatter in all directions.

    Comet breakup

    If ISON was to break up (which is not impossible) there is no way at all that that any fragment would hit our planet.

Kassie · November 13, 2013 at 08:14

I can see your having a hard time convincing ppl admin. So i ask what proof is thereto suggest that we are not in any danger and can it be backed up by scientific fact that comes from a non government or government controled/influenced source? There is no harm what so ever with the civilian population being ready for any disaster spoken about here, would you rather have been ready for it, or caught out unprepared and pay the price for it. What i dont understand is why governments still choose to lie after they have been caught out. Instead they weave more elaberate lies which in turn lead to a bigger kick up the backside when they are found out. I for one do believe in being ready. If nothing happens…..fine……. But if it does I know we are ready for it at least. To call ppl scare mongers isnt the right word and would suggest calling them careful instead. If a solar flare of the proposed magnitude what would happen, what if this comet hit us? Its a big if but there are a lot of things up there we dont understand yet. So IF it happens and ison hits us what would be the result IF ison touches the ground? Note that although you may think it impossibl, just remember this is hypothetical hence the what IF.

    admin · November 13, 2013 at 10:31

    So i ask what proof is thereto suggest that we are not in any danger and can it be backed up by scientific fact that comes from a non government or government controled/influenced source?

    I’m sorry, but there is no evidence at all that this comet is going endanger life on Earth. If you want to say it will harm us, you have to prove this, it is unfair to say I have to prove you wrong. By the way why do you think astronomical information is controlled by governments? The comet’s path in the sky used by thousands of amateur astronomers show it will not collide with Earth or the Sun.

    There is no harm what so ever with the civilian population being ready for any disaster spoken about here, would you rather have been ready for it, or caught out unprepared and pay the price for it.

    The only preparation for a Comet ISON-related disaster I see is publication of lots of nonsense on the internet.

    To call ppl scare mongers isnt the right word

    I’m sorry but it is exactly the right term for people who make up or spread untrue stories to frighten other people. Do you think this is morally reprehensible or not?

    So IF it happens and ison hits us what would be the result IF ison touches the ground? Note that although you may think it impossibl, just remember this is hypothetical hence the what IF.

    You could start by investigating

    http://www.purdue.edu/impactearth/

    http://www.purdue.edu/impactearth/Content/pdf/Documentation.pdf

    http://palaeo.gly.bris.ac.uk/Communication/Brana/impact.html

Shyball101 · November 12, 2013 at 20:16

@ admin Metabunk is just another brainwASHING news media propaganda nonsense info site like the nonsense you spew out

(Edited for language- ADMIN)

    admin · November 13, 2013 at 09:41

    OK, point out anything I have said that is untrue and I will correct it.

Shyball101 · November 12, 2013 at 20:09

Looks like this author is just 1 of many injected to keep things calm till things get rough.

(Edited for language- ADMIN)

    ashley · November 15, 2013 at 15:52

    so here is the thing it is now november past the power grid shut down lol they never shut ohio down people were saying they were going to and it NEVER HAPPEND lol i find this very intresting to hear some of these people i wonder how they feel right now???? i was reading all of these comments and i was waiting for the right time to announce the FACT that THE POWER GRID DID NOT GET SHUT DOWN it is always GOOD to be ready just in case of an emergency any time any day but if NASA seriously had a problem about comet ISON then i do think in every way that they would say something it would be a world wide thing i do believe that NASA may not give all the facts but they would give a warning i dont think they would let people die like that another thing is that we have warning for tsunamies lol (i dont know if i spelled that right lol) that gives a panic right there in america they give u about 8 hours to evacuate even if it causes a PANIC so people cant say that NASA wont warn us about this we have warnings for EVERYTHING i think im 21 years old i want to see the comet ISON i think its going to be AMAZING and beautiful….

Sally · November 11, 2013 at 11:19

Is the comet ison going to cause major solar flares and have disastrous effects for us on earth? Feeling very worried.

    admin · November 11, 2013 at 11:29

    Absolutely not. You have heard stories made by people who make up and spread scary stories for fun or profit.

    This comet will not cause any harm to anyone on Earth.

webding · November 11, 2013 at 09:42

Hi Admin, you are as confident as can be that you know exactly what this comet is going to do. I have listened to some mighty fine minds that have ideas contrary to yours. Since comets are like cats and do whatever the hell they want, we’ll just have to wait and see.

    admin · November 11, 2013 at 10:52

    OK, but do look at the comments to the Comet Elenin features on this blog from a few years ago. See all the people who confidently, forcefully predicted Comet Elenin would cause disaster on Earth. They were all wrong.

debra · November 11, 2013 at 01:29

FEMA has thousands and thousands of plastic disposable coffins, enough to fit 3 people in them. The government is not telling the public what there for because they know something we don’t. prepare for the worst.

    admin · November 11, 2013 at 10:35

    That sounds extraordinary. If there was some kind of horrific disaster leaving a huge number of corpses it is hard to believe the authorities would waste the time to dig individual graves for coffins (even three person ones). Certainly the UK government’s Cold War plan to cope with the fatalities of an all out nuclear attack was to inter the bodies in mass graves. What is your source for your “FEMA coffin” assertion?

    Have you seen this at the Metabunk site?

Marty · November 10, 2013 at 03:05

Could I view the comet during the day, using a solar filter for a telescope? I can’t find this answer anywhere. Thanks for a great site and great discussion!!!

    admin · November 11, 2013 at 10:48

    Hi Marty, sorry but that won’t work. The Sun is many, many times brighter than the comet. A solar filter heavy enough block out enough sunlight to make it safe to look at the Sun will block out the comet’s light so much that you won’t be able to see it. A coronagraph would be more useful.

Piotr · November 4, 2013 at 15:21

There is evidence that when comets plunge into the sun they affect it in some way. There is video/photographic evidence of comets influencing the sun, causing it to burst out solar flares upon impact.

    admin · November 5, 2013 at 13:03

    People who actually study the Sun as a career do not agree with you.

john · November 4, 2013 at 01:10

E.L.E…comets and world ending stories have never bothered me as i truly believe is best not to worry about something you have no control over and live your life…big RESPECT to you admin for the patience you show to some of these people..why you tube is not banning some of these videos made to scare i do not no..i am a father of 3 and when my eldest 9 year old son comes to me crying are we all going to die dad the worlds going to end…not eating or sleeping properly for days from worry it makes me very angry …

    jonathan · November 4, 2013 at 17:49

    I think Your right Youtube should ban fake videos, false propaganda should be removed.

      admin · November 5, 2013 at 13:08

      On freedom of speech grounds, I’m not sure I would agree with you. It is up to the viewer to watch the content critically. Any healthy adult who lets a single YouTube video prophesying doom frighten them is partially responsible for their own state.

        Niquenak · November 29, 2013 at 23:38

        dear admin, there were many places that I wanted to join in at , in this thread. Firstly I wish to thank you for your patience, your calmly stated intelligent responses to questions, worries, in fact fears that a very large number of people share relating to Ison, Nibiru, Hidden Govt, etc it is not suprising that many of us find ourselves here reading your sensible views based upon fact and logic. I wish there were more places on the internet, you could visit to get a balanced opinion in fact not just an opinion but the Real Deal, thanks again for your time and consideration.
        I’m sure I will want to ask you to clarify something for me in the very near future.
        Thankyou admin

jonathan · November 3, 2013 at 18:11

please tell me about planet x or nibiru…. It links in with comet ISON. Also off topic but FEMA camps are in action now. they have made homelessness illegal they have to options, prison or a camp (fema) where they can’t leave and are under armed guards. Conspiracy or not? Also if the truth was told three would be mass panic, people can’t handle the truth so it has to be covered up. Just look at some events in history. People don’t know what’s going to happen its all speculation eg the government shut down when NASA didn’t get any photos of mars and comet ison. bit of a coincidence when it was the most interesting point. Also what has happened with mars, what has comet ison done to mars? also I’m dyslexic. Hope you understand this. kind regards.

    admin · November 4, 2013 at 10:49

    please tell me about planet x or nibiru….

    Nibiru and Planet X do not exist. They are made up and stories about them are spread by people who like to tell scary stories,

    off topic but FEMA camps are in action now. they have made homelessness illegal they have to options, prison or a camp (fema) where they can’t leave and are under armed guards

    What is your source for this?

    Also what has happened with mars, what has comet ison done to mars?

    Absolutely nothing, the comet passed more than a 10 million km from the planet.

      jonathan · November 4, 2013 at 17:46

      Very vague answers………

      “Google” South Carolina FEMA Camp Opens For Business.

      If planet x is a story, a lot of it adds up, like the fact that when it was photographed (ISON) it was three thin white lines. Not one round object that you would expect from a comet. What are the objects circulating around ISON too?

      I don’t know if you know about the Illuminati cards that have come true, that were made in the 1990s. well there is one of comet ISON, (meteor strike) that is just like the photo that was of ISON brightened up.

      why are people saying things about Mars “”Did Ison Cause Volcanic Eruptions on Mars”” “”Mars now has a coma around it”” why are they videos of it if it didn’t happen?

      Also some Professor is saying that Mars Has Acquired A Coma From Its Electrical Interaction With Comet ISON, The Principal Reason For The Government Shutdown Of NASA. He also Reveals NASA Is Lying About Comet ISON.

      so who are we to believe? we are getting very mixed messages Here…

        admin · November 4, 2013 at 21:28

        I’m sorry you did not like the answers you asked for.

        “Google” South Carolina FEMA Camp Opens For Business.

        I did, and found dozens of paranoid sites parroting the same narrative, in fact all apparently based on the same video. Digging deeper I found the city in question had attempted to make existing vagrancy laws harsher, insisting homeless people accept help at a shelter, go to jail or leave town. No mention of FEMA camps. No connection to Comet ISON. I’m pleased to say this mean-spirited piece of law-making has been abandoned. Also see this discussion at Metabunk.

        when it was photographed (ISON) it was three thin white lines. Not one round object that you would expect from a comet. What are the objects circulating around ISON too?

        I cannot do any better than quote the Hubble Heritage page explaining this: “The image is the result of combining three exposures that produce the three components, and the shapes are produced by the combined motion of the Hubble telescope and the comet. The images look exactly as expected.”

        I don’t know if you know about the Illuminati cards that have come true, that were made in the 1990s. well there is one of comet ISON, (meteor strike) that is just like the photo that was of ISON brightened up.

        Yes, I know all about Steve Jackson Games Illuminati, it’s a series of comedy card games. Are you really claiming this Meteor strike card looks like a comet? For that matter are you claiming a games company is behind an evil conspiracy?

        why are people saying things about Mars “”Did Ison Cause Volcanic Eruptions on Mars”” “”Mars now has a coma around it”” why are they videos of it if it didn’t happen?

        Who knows? Perhaps they are playing some sort of weird game where players pretend to wallow in medieval superstition, or else they just unquestioningly believe everything they are told on the internet or some other unfathomable reason. Nothing unusual has happened on Mars, it looks the same as ever. I know this because I have set up a telescope and looked at it.

        Also some Professor is saying that Mars Has Acquired A Coma From Its Electrical Interaction With Comet ISON, The Principal Reason For The Government Shutdown Of NASA. He also Reveals NASA Is Lying About Comet ISON.

        Your “professor” is not a professor and for at least a decade has been predicting disasters caused by small solar system bodies. When these don’t happen, he just starts all over again, surely this suggests that his theories are not to be trusted.

          jonathan · November 7, 2013 at 18:00

          Its a bit strange that the Illuminati cards were made in the 1990s and the twin towers, the Boston marathon, a nuclear accident and gun control are all on the cards. Its a bit of a strange coincidence really?

          Also there are more articles in the news about comets/meteors coming to light, But still no mention of ISON.

          http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2488478/Russias-meteor-explosion-powerful-400-000-tonnes-TNT.html

          http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/a-warning-for-earth-meteor-blast-over-siberia-was-equivalent-to-30-hiroshima-bombs-8925286.html

          http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24839601

          http://news.sky.com/story/1165152/meteor-fireball-lights-up-california-sky

          I am not to sure about the BBC news article as the news is regulated by the UK government. As i have a feeling this website is also being regulated. I Myself have no clear view on what is going to happen with ISON. I am only going by what is on the grape vine, youtube, Google sites and the news.

          I Thank you for your time and responses but i am still none the wiser as to what is going to happen, Guess we will have to wait till 21st of dec.

          Kind regards J.r.s

            admin · November 8, 2013 at 11:51

            Hi Jonathan, I’d love to talk more about the Illuminati game (card and board gaming are a hobby of mine) but I won’t as it’s not astronomy which is what I’m here to talk about. Though before I finish, I’d just like to point out that there are about 400 or so cards satirising current events, popular culture and conspiracy theories in the Illuminati series of games, in that big a sample it is easy to pick out “matches” to events, especially if you are very relaxed about how close the match is. There is a list of the cards from the Illuminati:New World Order set at this link (these are the one with the colour cartoon pictures on them that people usually mean when they make a fuss over the cards), note the names, some are easy to “fit” wth reality, others are so absurd it’s impossible.

            There’s no mention of Comet ISON in those articles because they are not about ISON. Answering queries about comets, I keep running into the following no-win situation, if any comet, asteroid, meteor or solar event gets media coverage, it’s interpreted as a cryptic warning of a forthcoming disaster, if any comet, asteroid, meteor or solar event doesn’t get media coverage, it’s interpreted as a cover-up of a forthcoming disaster. I do not understand why people want to believe a cosmic doomsday is coming but it is sad that they do.

            Ignoring your assertation that news content in the UK is government controlled, I would like to address your belief that the content of this site is “regulated”. I am very happy to say that I and my colleagues who contribute to this blog are free to write about whatever we like. I report to the Planetarium’s director who allows me to promote our educational mission through this blog by administering and editing it as I see fit. I have never deliberately misinformed our readership, nor have my colleagues.

            I am sorry you are still worried by this comet’s approach. While you are wisely looking a variety of sources for information, your comments indicate that you prefer to concentrate on the most alarmist, least accurate, most absurd stories and interpretations over the more factual ones. If this is how you choose to live life it is your privilege and I wish you every happiness.

Greener · November 3, 2013 at 11:57

I think this comet is a diversion. There probably is all sorts going on in FEMA region 3, and you are threatened, but this threat is closer to home than this or any other comet. it’s the rogue state that is the USA.
A state that when it’s leader looked like he was going to bring a state of peace on this planet, they shot him (JFK).
When the public couldn’t see a reason to fight a war in Vietnam, they created one (The Tonkin Bay incident)
When they needed lots of tax payers money to go into the Middle East to cause mayhem and chaos, they gave you a terror attack, (9/11)
You are under threat, but is from within, not from space. Open your eyes, you brain washed American masses.

    admin · November 4, 2013 at 10:54

    I think this comet is a diversion.

    No, it is an interesting astronomical event. I cannot understand why anyone could believe that there is some political conspiracy theory around it. Note that the comet is virtually unknown to the general public (not a complaint, just a realistic reflection of the popularity of astronomy), I cannot see how it is meant as a diversion.

Im Scared · November 2, 2013 at 04:07

Will this hit us?>??!1!1

    admin · November 2, 2013 at 10:22

    No, will never come closer than 64 million km to Earth.

Haris · October 31, 2013 at 13:19

IF the comet does survive, when will it be visible from earth because I read a few articles saying that it will be visible from earth in November.

Legal Team Webmaster · October 26, 2013 at 02:57

It’s nice to see a website where the admin really takes the time to converse with the people posting comments, I am curious; maybe you could switch the most recent comments to the top. Also, there are so many conspiracy theories today about ISON & Nibiru on YouTube; it is shocking, almost as if people really want something bad to happen. I can’t figure out why people post that crap instead of real facts. I don’t think we are in any danger, if we were, every astronomer would be coming forth warning us.
Nothing bad is going to happen, not even a chance.

Tinsltown42 · October 25, 2013 at 01:06

Hello.
I was just reading this through -everyones comments to your original post. I for one do definitely am in agreeance that no one here (at least on this website) knows exactly what’s going on with this comet let alone on planet Earth. I am a big conspiracy chick ( not like you think) but the signs of a great cosmic awakening and change of this whole universe are out there… even if you want to ignore them- you can’t. I do believe wholeheartedly that you guys with this website are not trying to deliberately shadow anybody from the truth- you just don’t know 100 percent and so we call that speculation. I believe our government agencies( NASA ) are conveniently only sharing a fraction of what they do. It’s just one excuse after another etc..ridiculousness and its getting old. Frankly this planet needs to be cleansed of a lot of things and I’m excited! Not scared. I feel in my core that something is going to happen with this comet and the sun…we are due. It’s just one thing that everyone is waking up to realize; sometimes the truth comes from within your own soul.

    Legal Team Webmaster · October 26, 2013 at 03:07

    Don’t worry the world has been ending for the last 13 years according to all the conspiracies people create, Curious why do you believe so much that something bad will happen? Well, I hope you are wrong, but you never know, regardless I won’t lose any sleep over this ISON. If we get hit or something real bad happens and the world is doomed then, I hope it lands on my head so I am the first to go, no pain no suffering.

Cai · October 23, 2013 at 17:38

Hi there,
Really interesting article! Just got a few questions..
What sort of shape is the actual solid comet part of it? Is it completely round, or is it a different shape?
I’ve heard that during its journey throughout our solar system, it decreases in size.. How much would it decrease by? (if this is the case!)
Where is it headed after it passes by earth and the sun? What ‘area of space’ or what notable things in its direction are there?
What sort of materials is it made out of? I know that its mostly ice, but is this H20? Or something different? And is there a nucleus made out of rock inside? i know that you can’t work it out for this comet, but do you know how big the nucleus is for comets in general?
How does the ice work on a comet like this? Is it solid all the way through? Or is there a layer of water underneath? Or maybe even a gas! (liveable?!)

sorry for all the questions! Its really interesting 🙂

    admin · October 24, 2013 at 12:03

    Thanks for your question, I can only give brief answers.

    What sort of shape is the actual solid comet part of it? Is it completely round, or is it a different shape?

    Probably peanut or potato shaped based on other comet nuclei imaged by spacecraft.

    Comets compared

    I’ve heard that during its journey throughout our solar system, it decreases in size.. How much would it decrease by?

    Heat from the Sun warms the surface causing ice to change into gas, these gases escape into space (carrying dust particles with them). Sunlight pushes the gas and dust away. Gradually the comet’s nucleus shrinks, some comets have lost virtually all their ice and are almost rocks. Some asteroids appear to be all that remains of ‘dead’ comets.

    Where is it headed after it passes by earth and the sun?

    This comet is heading back out to the Oort Cloud.

    What sort of materials is it made out of? I know that its mostly ice, but is this H20? Or something different? And is there a nucleus made out of rock inside? How does the ice work on a comet like this? Is it solid all the way through? Or is there a layer of water underneath? Or maybe even a gas! (liveable?!)

    The ice is mainly water, but there is also (a few percent) frozen carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, with 1% other compounds. Roughly 50% of the mass of the nucleus is ice, the other 50% is silicate minerals (rock loosely speaking) and carbon rich grains, note these values are estimates and will vary from comet to comet. Based on spacecraft imagery the comet nucleus is rocky and porous with ice in the gaps. We still have a lot to learn though. There are certainly organic compounds in comets, but life is so unlikely to be just science fiction as far as we know.

Danny · October 19, 2013 at 22:33

OMG, I can’t believe how many people are hyping this up as the comet of “doom” you want to ‘truthfully’ know what I think looking at the Original Picture that some guy took the time to Darken up? It look’s like a Klingon ‘Bird of Pray’ there you go I’ve said it. So if you believe in Klingon’s and watch far too much star trek then you better learn how to say we surrender in Klingon because our overlord masters from the Empire will no doubt be shouting “bijeghbe chugh vaj biHegh” which roughly translated means “Surrender or Die!”

    cathy · November 11, 2013 at 17:47

    the best shooting down of the people pushing weird theories so far 🙂 (Edited by Admin)

    (Dear Cathy, thank you for your kind words, but I have softened the language used to avoid hurt feelings-ADMIN)

JJOCa · October 17, 2013 at 21:45

Great post! Just out of curiosity, on Oct 14th, NASA announced the Comet’s Trajectory/path has altered slightly. When you mentioned above the path was 100% certain is has now changed…? Also, how will the Sun’s only 1 pole that has switched, affect the comet? (being a zero magnetic field, wouldn’t that throw the orbit also off the return trajectory?)

    admin · October 18, 2013 at 09:39

    Sorry, I think you have misunderstood, the comet’s orbit has not changed, rather additional observations have enabled us to plot its path a tiny bit more accurately.

    Magnetic fields do not effect the orbits of comets or planets as the gravitational attraction of the Sun is far greater, so the comet’s orbit will not be effected.

Jason · October 17, 2013 at 21:12

Do you happen too know the size? And the date/month it’s gonna pass by earth? And is it true the mid Atlantic is gonna the most affect? Also is the weather patterns gonna change?

    admin · October 18, 2013 at 09:49

    The nucleus of ISON is no larger than four miles (6.5 km) across. There is huge uncertainty in the estimates of the comet’s mass (depending on how icy or rocky it might be). NASA’s Spitzer telescope page quotes between 3.2 billion and 3.2 trillion kg (3.2 million-3.2 billion tonnes).

    It will be at its closest to Earth (64 million km) on 26 December 2013.

    The comet will have no effect on the weather or anything else on Earth.

ReaperMan · October 17, 2013 at 09:02

I am terrified by all the “facts” about ISON! How can people swallow this bizarre rubbish? The world seems to be full of people with a really weird agenda. Its a chunk of Ice and rock, subject to the principles that underlie the universe. I doff my cap to the admin and the very measured way he has dealt with what can only be termed deluded thinking. Many of the posts seem symptomatic of the current trend of gleaning information from the net and simply accepting it as valid. Why don’t’ people ever check out the reality of what they find. I came to your site as the result of ridiculous doom and gloom predictions I heard from a few people, some of whom I thought were not that gullible. Thank you for trying to help these people in their misguided beliefs.

danut · October 13, 2013 at 15:00

how about Asteroid 2013 TB80 discover by Rusian I.S.O.N. center by 11 oct? That is also aproche to the Earth …

    admin · October 18, 2013 at 09:52

    “The asteroid, believed to be the 704th largest with an orbit that comes relatively near Earth, does not pose a danger of crashing into our planet, said the head of the observatory that made the discovery.

    “It’s a big asteroid, but it poses no danger for us,” Leonid Elenin, who lives in the Moscow Region, told RIA Novosti on Friday.”

    Quoted in Russians Discover Kilometer-Wide Near-Earth Asteroid

Beth Santana · October 9, 2013 at 15:09

Isn’t there a controversy in scientific theories over the evidence, that comets may not be “icy balls” as originally thought, but rather having dry surfaces and born electrically…….. that comets may be charged bodies evolving more electrically as they move into the electrical field of the sun? That the earth passing through the debris could cause serious electrical problems here from intense xray and ultra violet emissions? Why is there so much controversial information out there? Do scientists disagree on their theories (I reread your statement that this is not speculative science)? Do we really know? Wasn’t there higher xray emissions from comet Hyakutake then expected? Didn’t we drive something into the nucleus of Tempel I which caused electrical changes in the space equipment? I’d like to try to understand why there is so much differing information as to the results of ISON’s impact on the earth. I also would like to know similarities to the passing through of Elenin. I remember much controversy over Elenin as well. Are there some scientists that disagree with the commonly understood theories of the composition of comets? Lots of questions………

    admin · October 9, 2013 at 16:43

    Hi, thanks for your questions, I’m having to answer them quite briefly.To know more about comets, I’d suggest a visit to a university library and check out some of the books, if that’s not an option, there are some good sources listed in the Wikipedia article on comets.

    Isn’t there a controversy in scientific theories over the evidence, that comets may not be “icy balls” as originally thought, but rather having dry surfaces and born electrically

    No, that’s not an issue at all.

    that comets may be charged bodies evolving more electrically as they move into the electrical field of the sun? That the earth passing through the debris could cause serious electrical problems here from intense xray and ultra violet emissions?

    No, neither of these are accepted by astronomers.

    Why is there so much controversial information out there? Do scientists disagree on their theories (I reread your statement that this is not speculative science)? Do we really know?

    We’re living in a golden age of new astronomical discoveries, so controversies over new observations and theories ought to be expected.

    Wasn’t there higher xray emissions from comet Hyakutake then expected?

    Yes, that’s right, the thinking at the moment is that an interaction between the comet and the solar wind/solar magnetic field causes it.

    Didn’t we drive something into the nucleus of Tempel I which caused electrical changes in the space equipment?

    I’m not aware of any electrical issues with that mission.

    I’d like to try to understand why there is so much differing information as to the results of ISON’s impact on the earth.

    It is very noticeable that the scaremongers out there cannot agree what it is going to do except it’s going to be bad. The scientific consensus is that it will have zero “impact” on the Earth.

    For Elenin, see elsewhere on this blog.

    Are there some scientists that disagree with the commonly understood theories of the composition of comets?

    There’s a bit of disagreement over how much ice and rock are in comets. Thirty years ago, the thinking was that they are mainly ice (the “dirty snowball theory”), since we’ve seen some comet nuclei up close it seems they are made of a higher proportion of rocky material, hopefully the ESA Rosetta mission will help to resolve this.

      biggee96@live.com · October 26, 2013 at 21:01

      Mod me for links or whatever but you should watch this with an open mind,(LINK REMOVED, please let us know why you think this is important and what it is about then I’ll re-instate it- ADMIN

gaskin · October 9, 2013 at 00:57

i was readin all these post and im glad to see sum1 trying to fill in the blanks but if i remember correctly from when i was in school that space is curved. and when “sling shotting”( i believe its where a ship sets into a planets magnetic fired is slung around the curve of the planet). moon has been moving away for year ice caps melting faster our gov buyin ammo lots of ammo, food setting up military controlled fema camps. i like to c all sides good and bad. but even i can see that the world is diving we r do for an extinction like the many other life forms on this planet b4 us so y cant nibiru/comet ison etc. be the same( i know its new to us here) as it was for dino’s and early man?
space and our past shows that humans will be under prepared for socail reform and govermental change.

nibiru would give us all the hope that we can yet again but that we must have change b4 then. those who think it will get us then prepare and for those who say we r safe, if we make it then ur right again but if not then i wanna be the first/last one to say “and u didnt think it would just leave with no problems why?”
i have lil info no evidence just persoanl exp. from the worl if that aint enough then i apologize

    Niquenak · November 29, 2013 at 23:02

    OK gaskin,
    I guess I’m right in saying that you get the feeling that we might just be in for a ‘rocking of the ”boat” we are sailing in/on and not to be surprised as we try to ‘Steady as she goes’.
    I think admin is right this time, but we could all do with re-evaluating our priorities.
    Wouldn’t it be great if the ‘ powers that be’ the so called hidden government.
    went down into their ‘underground cities’ eat all their stored food, shot each other with their ‘hollow point’ bullets then when we all survived their extinction event .We discovered that we not only ‘did not need them’ but We were So Much Better Off WITHOUT Them.
    Well It could happen like that couldn’t it ?

Jay · October 8, 2013 at 23:59

Need to know the estimated mass of Comet ISON, and the speed of Comet ISON relative to Earth, at closest approach of Comet ISON to Earth. Thank you.

dozer · October 8, 2013 at 20:46

well then that clears that up. thats a long way off from mars, would have to big huge to affect the planet at that distance.
so… ison is an oort cloud object, i wonder what celestial body pushes these comets out of orbit? maybe collisions with other comets or maybe dwarf planets out there somewhere… who knows?? just one of those unknowns that one day will be uncovered

matt · October 7, 2013 at 23:48

some thing very weird about the time this comet is hitting and the current world state. now the us goverment has failed and fema is getting all the resources they need in some thing is in the wind. if you look at the photos of ison and take away the filters it isnt no normal comet theres some thing differnt about it. i belive its going to mess up the grid and this is will be a play for the nwo God blerss amirca because stuff getting live there turn your life to God and jesus is your savior do it befor its to late one way or another we are in the end times jesus will be returning in the next 30 or so years just look around.

(Edited for language- ADMIN)

    Daniel · November 6, 2013 at 17:18

    AHAHAHAH, My god you could not be more wrong… A CHRISTIAN ON A SCIENCE WEBSITE? XD And it’s scientifically proven that Christianity is wrong, (EDITED BY ADMIN).

    (Daniel, please note two points: 1.this is not the venue to debate religious issues 2. please do not address other commentators in an agressive and insulting tone – ADMIN)

ReRe · October 7, 2013 at 22:35

I’m going to throw this into the mix in support of admin. I am not an hard- core star gazer, I am a young woman who enjoys nothing more than looking up into the night sky at the stars and I get truly excited when I see a shooting- star. I am also a mum who thoroughly enjoys teaching my children about constellations and the stories that go with some of them.

I have had Comet ISON marked on my calendar since I heard about it at the beginning of the year, and I have progressively got more and more excited about being able to show my children this wonder, I still have memories of seeing a comet when I was younger – no idea which one but I’m 24 now and was between the ages of 5-8 when I saw it, I am cannot wait for my children to also have these memories.

Also, at the end of the day, if ISON is going to kill us all what exactly can we do to prevent it? Send Bruce Willis into space with a couple of nukes and ask him to blow it up? hmmmm…. thank you Admin for the information on ISON.

    gaskin · October 9, 2013 at 01:00

    lol nice ending i agree lol

      KurLzz · October 27, 2013 at 11:49

      Well, if it is going to kill us all, cause natural disasters, such as earth quakes, tidal waves, polar shifts……..AND if it is worrying some of you so bad….why don’t u start preparing for “war, famine, and plagues” rather than surfing the Internet , and arguing over things you are “sure of”..

      ??
      Just saying

dozer · October 7, 2013 at 20:40

if they are as stated hot pixels then why do they appear in two different images of ISON. and im sure the comet as of now is close to mars yet you state it will not pass close to a planetary body
. i may well be misinformed can you clarify whether any of this is true

    admin · October 8, 2013 at 09:07

    The comet did come relatively close in astronomer’s terms to Mars, it was still 10.8 million km from the planet. That’s almost 30 times as far as the Moon is from Earth, that is too far away for the gravitation of Mars to significantly change the comet’s orbit.

    As for the hot pixel issue, the astronomer who made the images has categorically said that is what they are, so that issue is completely resolved.

Guido · October 7, 2013 at 15:51

WOW
That video of all the comets in solar system is incredible. If looked at in Geological time (long term) it boggles the mind that we don’t get whacked more often. Add to that model the image of all this following the sun in it’s trek through the galaxy and I have become very humbled and awed.

JOJO · October 4, 2013 at 18:39

Jessie, not sure if you are addressing me or Admin. In my prior posts I was talking about Comet ISON and how I believe it could affect the sun, because the sun is going to affect it

jessie · October 4, 2013 at 18:07

How can you know if it will damage earth or not, seriously how?

    admin · October 4, 2013 at 18:28

    It is just a chuck of ice and rock. It will never come closer to us than 64 million km from Earth (that’s nearly 400 times further away than the Moon). It cannot harm our planet.

JOJO · October 4, 2013 at 17:52

Admin, the responce you stated back on my proir post, did not all quit make sence……………Yes, an earth tremor can move the plates, but the plates will not cause a tremor? ( most definatley, if plates get shuffled around, it will have an affect on something, in one way or another.) The tremor affects the plates and moves them………..as the plates are moved it will and or can affect something. I was saying just makes sence to me that objects with power and energy, whatever it is, would have an affect on another object. Chain reactions………one thing happens………it leads to something else. Everything is constanly changing and the changes are from reactions of something else that was affected and so on and so on. When you bring any two objects with power and energy together, there will be some affecting and changes made between, or from the two objects in one way or another.

    admin · October 4, 2013 at 18:37

    I’m sorry but I do not agree with your line of reasoning. It is true that sometimes small effects can trigger larger ones, but the difference in mass alone between a comet and a star (like the Sun) is enormous (the Sun is about 100 trillion times larger than the comet), hence I find the idea that the comet influences the Sun unbelievable. Remember too, no comet in history has ever been observed to influence the Sun.

featorfate · October 4, 2013 at 00:41

watch this video. (Link removed. Please briefly let us know why you think we should watch this and I will restore the link- ADMIN)

featorfate · October 4, 2013 at 00:37

I would like to challenge you.

1) ” The comet is also not causing potentially dangerous effects on the Sun, nor is it
going to at any future time. Science has never recorded a comet influencing the Sun. ”

Just did, october huge coronal mass ejection on the 29-30th.

    admin · October 4, 2013 at 13:48

    OK, but what is the link between this and Comet ISON? There must be hundreds, thousands even, near Earth asteroids as close or closer to the Sun than this. Why should this one particular comet have caused this?

    Honestly, if a comet as far away from the Sun as this one is right now could trigger solar events, astronomers would be using comet movements to predict solar activity. The fact they don’t ought to tell you something.

Gabby · October 3, 2013 at 22:33

I believe that the government shutdown is connected to comet ison. Comet ison is suspected to hit during the most active solar flare time of the decade. Which in turn means our electrical grid could be screwed. If this is not so, then why have they got 3 million gallons of water and 4 million msra vaccinations sent to FEMA camp 3, which is, by the way, in DC? Why have they been planning to shut down the government for two months now? Why did they “just find out” that the president could raise the deficit if he wanted to without any consent? I mean that is why they shut down the government right? To make a decision about it? I mean, why shut it down if the president could make the decision if he wanted to. Anyway, the President is doing all this so he can call unto Martial Law and obtain his emergency rights so that when the comet hits and we lose our electricity, he’ll still be able to do whatever the hell he wants. This “government shutdown” is all a big scandal to scare us into trusting them and believing in them just so they can screw us over. Its a cover up, just like 9/11 was.

    admin · October 4, 2013 at 13:50

    And when all this doesn’t happen aren’t you going feel a little foolish?

Justin · October 3, 2013 at 21:59

Admin you have the patience of a saint… Faced with such ill-informed conjecture!

JOJO · October 3, 2013 at 05:22

Admin, it baffels me how the sun could not affect comet ISON’S shape and then therefor possibly in some way affect the way comet ISON turns, because of its new shape, changing the way it is travelinng. Maybe up a hair or two, down a hair or two, up a few million miles or down a few several million miles etc. Therefor changing its course of travel. Also it seems to me that when comet ISON does go close to the sun, that the two objects would have some affect on each other at the same time………….Surley if one affects one, the other would be affected as well. I just saying, that makes a lot of sence to me. How can the sun melt some of comet ISON, and then comet ISON not affect the sun. I mean, it only makes sence to me, if one object affects the one, then the one that is being affected would affect the other one as well in one way or another.

    admin · October 3, 2013 at 10:12

    Sunlight exerts pressure on anything it falls on. But that pressure is miniscule, enough to push away atoms of gas and microscopic grains of dust escaping from the comet’s nucleus, but far too weak to change the course of the nucleus (which weighs millions of tonnes at least). No comet in history has ever been seen to change its orbit under the influence of solar radiation.

    I disagree that “if one affects one, the other would be affected as well”. An earth tremor could rattle the plates on a shelf, but rattling the plates doesn’t cause an Earth tremor.

      mark · November 5, 2013 at 01:04

      An earthquake ‘rattling plates’?
      Terrible analogy.
      Newton’s 3rd. If the energy produced ‘ONLY’ rattled plates the energy from ‘rattling plates’ would equal that in return.

      Nice to see science responding accurately to the fatalist element here btw.
      Might I interject with, for the immediate benefit of all with ‘messianic-induced fatalistic fantasies’;
      You ARE going to DIE! How, Where and/or When is irrelevant, other than to you.
      The Earth will, not only, be obliterated in a billion years or so (sooner maybe, depending on, as yet, unknown events), but the sun too – Then all material will decay into its lowest common denominator and likely collapse into itself (implode).

      One thing though – Infinity Demands repetition – It (IMO) is absolutely guaranteed that, as it has always been, the exact position of all material today, in this, and all other universal planes, will recur.

      So next time I impart this, as I have done for eternity, it will read the same. In ‘other recurrences’ it will read differently, and in, yet ‘other recurrences’ I will be the reader, the admin guy and the 4-headed reptilianesque anthropod on betelguese that will never even know of its existence.

      Have an awesome everything, everyone!
      Que sera:)

Matt · October 1, 2013 at 20:02

Im confused, does it fly by November 28th or December 26th?

    admin · October 2, 2013 at 15:01

    It will be closest to the Sun on 28 November and closest to Earth (if 64 million km can be called close) on 26 December.

PACO · September 30, 2013 at 19:17

HALEY’S COMET & A KILLER VIRUS

In 1910, Haley’s comet blazed across the skies…(Content removed- ADMIN)…fell from the sky.

(Please do not copy and paste large blocks of copyright content from other websites. If you think the material is important, let us know why and link to it instead. ADMIN)

mothusi · September 29, 2013 at 20:13

I saw something an hour back n a friend of mine told me that its commet ISON. It didn have a tail though. It was like 2 circular shaped lights wit a smaller light inside of the bigger one. And the light was moving

    admin · September 30, 2013 at 09:09

    I do not think you saw the comet as it cannot yet be seen without a telescope, nor would it appear to be moving. Unfortunately from your description I have no idea what you observed.

Ben · September 27, 2013 at 02:19

It is understood that the phenomenon of magnetic reconnection is responsible for CME and solar flares. Magnetic reconnection is the name given to the rearrangement of magnetic field lines when two oppositely directed magnetic fields are brought together. This rearrangement is accompanied with a sudden release of energy stored in the original oppositely directed fields.

It is also understood that the ion tail of a comet is formed as a result of the ionisation by solar ultra-violet radiation of particles in the coma. Once the particles have been ionized, they attain a net positive electrical charge, which in turn gives rise to an “induced magnetosphere” around the comet. If the ion tail loading of the comet is sufficient, then the magnetic field lines are squeezed together to the point where, at some distance along the ion tail, magnetic reconnection occurs.

Couldnt the net positive charge around a comet entering the suns atmosphere cause magnetic reconnection to occur in the suns magnetic feild as well therefore resulting in CME and solar flares?

    admin · September 27, 2013 at 09:35

    It is understood that the phenomenon of magnetic reconnection is responsible for CME and solar flares. Magnetic reconnection is the name given to the rearrangement of magnetic field lines when two oppositely directed magnetic fields are brought together. This rearrangement is accompanied with a sudden release of energy stored in the original oppositely directed fields.

    Agreed!

    It is also understood that the ion tail of a comet is formed as a result of the ionisation by solar ultra-violet radiation of particles in the coma. Once the particles have been ionized, they attain a net positive electrical charge, which in turn gives rise to an “induced magnetosphere” around the comet. If the ion tail loading of the comet is sufficient, then the magnetic field lines are squeezed together to the point where, at some distance along the ion tail, magnetic reconnection occurs.

    Agreed, with the caveat that a comet’s induced magnetic field is way weaker than anything generated on the Sun.

    Couldnt the net positive charge around a comet entering the suns atmosphere cause magnetic reconnection to occur in the suns magnetic feild as well therefore resulting in CME and solar flares?

    I think that’s a speculation too far. Firstly, solar flares and CMEs originate on the Sun’s surface not in its atmosphere. At perihelion this comet will still be about a million km from the Sun’s surface. Secondly, this is not backed up with observational evidence. Solar flares and CMEs are seen to occur when no comet is near the Sun, yet at other times comets have been seen approaching even closer to the Sun (100 000km), but no solar event occurred.

    Astronomers do not believe sungrazing comets trigger solar activity.

      biggee96@live.com · October 26, 2013 at 20:54

      “I think that’s a speculation too far. Firstly, solar flares and CMEs originate on the Sun’s surface not in its atmosphere. At perihelion this comet will still be about a million km from the Sun’s surface. Secondly, this is not backed up with observational evidence. Solar flares and CMEs are seen to occur when no comet is near the Sun, yet at other times comets have been seen approaching even closer to the Sun (100 000km), but no solar event occurred.”

      According to the theory it is dependent on origin and whether it is a virgin object,as these carry more charge.
      “Astronomers do not believe sungrazing comets trigger solar activity.”
      Some do actually.

CST · September 26, 2013 at 16:48

To all the folks calling this guy a liar and a slave, you are being lied to and enslaved by fear. I used to believe just like you and run around trolling sites like this too. Theres always something to fear isnt there? Theres also people getting rich off those fears they inflict upon you. Am i wrong in saying 2012 was a bunch of nonsense? I could name a few others, but i’ll try an spare myself from accusations of being a government troll/CIA disinfo artist. Please stop living in fear. Free yourselves. To the admin, we need lots and lots more people like yourself. This is really becoming a social catastrophe. Thank you.

    admin · September 27, 2013 at 11:24

    Thanks for your kind words.

    Mark Linnig · November 24, 2013 at 23:32

    Couldn’t agree more with the ‘social catastrophe’!
    I remember the days when people read books or attended lectures of educated and qualified professionals to get accurate information. Granted that professionals or experts don’t have all the answers and are sometimes misinformed themselves, but if people have more belief in a 10 minute video edited with dramatic background music, completely lacking in trusted references and mathematical accuracy, than someone with proven skills and decades of experience… it truly is doomsday!

J · September 24, 2013 at 16:18

You are not being honest. Sun diving comets do affect the sun. In fact why don’t you research when the largest sun flares occurred. They occurred when sun diving comets did their thing.

    admin · September 25, 2013 at 07:51

    Rather than throw out accusations, how about you show me your evidence?

Instantaneous Ludicrous · September 21, 2013 at 07:00

Reading this helped to put my mind at ease. I remember the beginnings of the 2012 rumors, I was young and ready to believe anything. It doesn’t help now that I’m a bit older to see these rubbish videos about something REAL being potentially harmful. People can be so cruel, I really hope your right about this being in no way dangerous to us. I can’t help but to be a bit shaken, but we’ll see how things turn out.

GOB SMACKER · September 19, 2013 at 10:41

its not new, 666 years ago, they? say it was death comet,but it may be planet 10=x

    admin · September 23, 2013 at 10:34

    Sorry, but you’re not correct. C/2012 S1 (ISON) is a new comet to the inner Solar System. Its orbital elements make it impossible to have ever visited the inner Solar Syatem before.

    It definitely is not a planet either, it is a comet, the very fact that it is difficult for astronomers to accurately measure the size of its nucleus because it is so small ought to make that clear.

Rochyroo · September 18, 2013 at 19:42

I don’t know what to believe so many say ISON is bad but all professional or government say its not, but why are they doing a power drill, why all the fema confines, why all the chemtrails, why have they built bunkers under Denver airport and seed banks. All just suspicious !!!!!!!

    admin · September 23, 2013 at 10:36

    I’m sorry but you ought to think critically about things you are told rather than just accepting them.

    Mark Linnig · November 24, 2013 at 22:57

    Underground development is nothing new! Human’s have burrowed underground and into mountains since forever. Caveman, wonder what that might imply!? 😀
    Just have a look at Finland’s underground City, really useful to cool data centers and avoid the arctic winters!

    I don’t usually like to reference wiki, but there are actual facts on this page.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_city

Vernon Whetstone · September 7, 2013 at 20:34

Colin, kudos to you for your calm, reasoned, and accurate responses to some of these obviously semi-deranged posters here. You have shown far more patience that I would have. It is too bad there are some mentally messed up people who post the crazy ideas, it is even worse there are people who believe them. 🙂

    admin · September 9, 2013 at 22:01

    Dear Vernon, I’m glad you like what we are doing here. Maybe five years ago the Planetarium got an e-mail from a lady who very worried for her young children about the whole “Mayan Doomsday” in 2012 nonsense. Ever since then I have believed we have a duty to expose pointless or even dangerous astronomical scare-mongering stories as some people are genuinely frightened by them. I hope we’re helping.

      biggee96@live.com · October 26, 2013 at 20:49

      Does that include electric universe theory?

      Amy · November 13, 2013 at 10:25

      Thank-you, admin, for making it your goal to reassure the public and treating everyone with equal acknowledgement as this is experience forces us all to be a bit more human and care for those who are panic struck. I, myself, was a nervous wreck over the claims but having found your voice of reason and logic for these scary concepts I now feel it’s safe to stargaze with awe not terror. Thank-you.

    Mark Linnig · November 24, 2013 at 22:42

    Vernon, mental illness is no laughing matter – your derogatory remarks are quite disrespectful and entirely inappropriate.
    “Semi-deranged” and “mentally messed up people”? Surely such remarks will only propagate people’s frustration? Rather hypocritical given your praise for the admin’s ‘calm’ and ‘reasoned’ responses.
    Admin is doing a great job educating people who clearly have little knowledge of astronomy or even core principles of mathematics and physics.
    The only thing deranged in these types of events is the media and their freedom to publicize farcical accounts of measurable cosmic events.
    As an example (highly simplified), if millions of people in the U.K. know what numbers are and what they look like but have no ability to add or subtract. Why is it that the media is allowed to tell these people that 10 + 10 = 40 when it has been proven not to be the case?
    So these people then jump on to a social media confluence of lies and confirm with one another that 10+10 is indeed 40.

Steve · September 5, 2013 at 05:40

Are you serious?!?!!? Your definitely a conformist slave like most of them. The true answer is right in front of us what happened when Earth passed through the comet of 1680? BUBONIC PLAGUE. Sure not all comets have deadly pathogens but there are most definitely some out their that do. Don’t you find it a little weird how this comet is approaching right as the world is in possibly its worst state? Its been known by many enlightened ones that comets approaching cause wars, famine and disease look at your history its all right there.

    admin · September 5, 2013 at 10:01

    Hi Steve, my research indicates that there was a bubonic plague epidemic in eastern and central Europe, Turkey and north Africa in the years 1675-1684 (before and after the 1680 comet was in the inner Solar System, remember too we are now sure this comet and ISON are unrelated). Note the British Isles, France, Scandanavia, the Americas, China and indeed the rest of the world seem to have been unaffected, this doesn’t seem to fit the idea that the plague was caused by the comet. Bubonic plague is not to best of my knowledge airborne, I believe it has to be spread by flea bites.

    If you can prove any comet carries pathogens I imagine you will win the Nobel Prize for Medicine and be remembered like Darwin.

    I wouldn’t stay the world is in its “worst state” right now, there are many worrying things but there have been much more awful times. I can remember the chilliest time in the Cold War when there more than 60 000 nuclear weapons ready for launch at the slightest provocation or mistake. The darkest years of WW2 when the Nazis and Japanese seemed to be winning must have been awful to live through.

    Comet ISON should not worry anyone in the slightest.

      mark · September 6, 2013 at 12:10

      Thank you for your informative responses to all these conspiracy loons. Reading your answers was like a breath of fresh air as I seem to be surrounded by paranoid idiots who like to make up their own science. Well done for keeping your cool and I`ll try to do the same. Thanks again.

        Benjamin · October 9, 2013 at 11:40

        Agree.

          Daniel · November 6, 2013 at 16:59

          Agree.

      rob · October 26, 2013 at 12:48

      nice reply…nobel prize for medicine!!!….spat my cornflakes all over!!

    Sarah Will · November 27, 2013 at 16:10

    The Black Death was around way before this Comet actually. What did occur however; was the likes like ‘Kepler’ to ‘Newton’ learning very important Science to which we have to grow further today on. In Light of the fact I know the many conspiracys etc… We have this horrid Desease still today in localised places & for some reasoning it’s kept in labs.
    Comet ISON has stretched the imaginations of many. However; You realise you can only do so much as a person to note where this speculation is coming from… I’m sorry but, I dunno why, how or where all this ‘chasing the rabbit’ will ever be realised. Much Love & Don’t worry about something that is not to worry about. I am more concerned bout people REALLY suffering in our Shared World today, right now as I type. I’m a very calm person but, I’m starting to loose my cool for might, could and would? When it’s actually taking all attention off the REAL ISSUES AROUND CERTAIN PLACES.

    Sarah

      Niquenak · November 29, 2013 at 22:10

      Almost Well Said Sarah, I agree with you absolutely, The horror of Syria, The terrifying radiation leaking into the Pacific from the stricken Nuclear plant in Japan, the global dependence on fossil fuels, when allegedly, technology exists for clean and free energy, Our own foolish Prime Minister announcing we will soon build a new Nuclear Plant in the UK, Surely thats enough without mentioning the terrible outcome of the Philipino Hurricane , of the millions of starving disease suffering, curable fellow human beings. We should all be hoping for a beautiful display visible by us all in mid December and not worry about false Flag operations like the toxic Chem trail operations

    Hal · April 18, 2014 at 19:36

    Admin is right. The bubonic plague had nothing to do with the comet passing by. When people throw their sewage out on the street fleas, rats, mice, etc. get infected and spread the disease. With the towns so packed with people, the people packed in houses and the house packed in the towns it’s an easy way to spread disease. It doesn’t help to have people being cut by the barber when their sick and blood getting on other people spreading the disease even more.
    Another note, people in Africa are getting the bubonic plague now, that wasn’t caused by a comet because the last comet was comet ISON on January 16 of last year. The bubonic plague in Africa started before that and is still going on today. The comet that came around then must have been just a coincidence.

Don · August 27, 2013 at 21:28

You know what bothers me about some scientific observations? They are very narrow minded and based on outdated information or limited and very narrow reasoning. #1 commenting on the makeup of the comet. How do you know? Have you sent probes to the comet and taken measurements? NO, so quit speculating. Mars should be proof of how much they thought they knew and how many speculations were wrong. #2 Making the observation that there is no way it can come close to Earth. If you knew anything about gravitational pull and its effect on objects you wouldn’t make this limited observation. Objects moving through space that encounter another object (collision) and/or gravitational pull with a larger object could have an unpredictable outcome that would directly effect its path.

    admin · August 28, 2013 at 07:02

    Hi Don, thanks for your comments. I don’t regard writing about the composition of this comet as a speculation. I have not been to a comet, but we have spectroscopic observations of the material in comets’ tails and comas going back to 1868 and we have direct spacecraft observations since 1986. We even have actual samples of comet dust brought back by the Stardust spacecraft. Astronomers are pretty sure they know what comets are made of.

    I am certain that this comet will not collide with or even come unexpectedly close to Earth, astronomers have been able to calculate the movements of astronomical objects, including comets, since the 1600s. Predicting a comet’s orbit is not speculative or difficult science it just acts under the Sun’s gravitational influence as surely as stone thrown up in the air will fall down again. I agree that close passes with planets make these calculations more uncertain but ISON is not passing close enough to a planet for this to be a factor.

      biggee96@live.com · October 26, 2013 at 20:47

      Stardust found little ice.

Digitalnuke · August 10, 2013 at 22:55

What is going to be like (health wise) to go through the comet’s debris trail of Cyanide and Ammonia on 16 January 2014 ? Also…If it takes 2 years to determine the trajectory of a comet,how the hell they know if ISON is not going to hit Mars or the Sun when they dont even know how big is it ? …

    admin · August 12, 2013 at 07:38

    Please do not worry, there will be no effects on human health when Earth passes through the the comet’s tail. The material in the tail is so thinly spread that it is virtually a vacuum. Earth has passed through the tails of comets before (notably the tail of Halley’s Comet in 1910) and no one has ever suffered ill effects.

    I don’t know why you think it takes two years to determine the orbit of a comet, a couple of nights’ observations ought to be enough. Once the comet’s movements have be measured it is straight forward to calculate its orbit using Kepler’s laws. People have been able to do this for three hundred years or so, this is absolutely proven science. Note it is a bit trickier if the comet is making a close approach to a planet as the planet’s gravity will effect the comet’s orbit and the predictions will need refined afterwards but this is not common and definitely doesn’t apply to Comet ISON. By the way we do not need to know how big the comet is to calculate its orbit, Kepler’s laws are determined by the Sun’s mass only. See this link.

    I hope this has reassured you.

      Michael Kintner · August 26, 2013 at 21:26

      You are lying to these people and it is YOU that are misinforming them. They aren’t even GOOD lies. I can not believe no one else has caught on to them thus far. Your information is not only false, but its REALLY false. Tell these people the truth and let them prepare themselves for what is to come as yuo are.

        admin · August 27, 2013 at 06:20

        OK, I’ll bite, what is the truth you believe?

          debra · November 11, 2013 at 01:22

          This rock that’s going to hit us is gonna take us back to the stone age. If we survive.

            admin · November 11, 2013 at 10:27

            There is no known asteroid or comet that is going to hit the Earth.

          Alan · November 14, 2013 at 00:06

          dam admin fine job in not losing you cool over some of these comments i mean some of them made me laugh i hope you reply to specific ones when the comet has passed with a simple ” i told you so”

            admin · November 14, 2013 at 09:47

            That would be very satisfying but life’s too short!

Big fella · August 6, 2013 at 06:37

I’m hearing this comet can interfere with our current solar maximum and cause disturbance to the sun, thus having a major reaction. That reaction could be major solar flares headed our way. The sun is already burping up X class flares. If one hits us we are toast. No satellites or electricity. This isn’t good. Nobody is being told about what could really happen here. You mind elaborating on this for us all a bit? Thank you

    admin · August 6, 2013 at 07:58

    Hi, thanks for your question. May I ask where you heard that “this comet can interfere with our current solar maximum and cause disturbance to the sun, thus having a major reaction. That reaction could be major solar flares headed our way”? I ask because this does not make any sense to me, at the moment (6 August) the comet is about 386 million km from the Sun. That is well over twice as far as Earth is from the Sun. It is unbelievable that a tiny chunk of rock and ice can have any effect at all on a star from that range. I would be very surprised if the claim of this comet influencing solar activity was made by scientists.

    You are right that there have been several X class flares this year, notably in May and June, but you sound alarmed about these events (“If one hits us we are toast”). There is nothing to fear, the largest flare in May was class X3.2, we know there have been others in history up to at least X28 which is more seven times as powerful yet we are still here. This year’s solar flare activity is wholly normal, actually to be honest it is less active than usual. I disagree that a major solar event would disrupt technology worldwide, I think this is a ludicrously exaggerated concern but I haven’t time to go into that here.

    I also disagree that “Nobody is being told about what could really happen here”, we are lucky to live in a golden age when knowledge, especially scientific knowledge, spreads around the world with unprecedented speed. There is nothing being said about this comet causing a solar flare disaster because there is nothing to say. It will not happen.

    To finish, it saddened me to discover when I was reporting on Comet Elenin, which had some alarming rumours attached to it that there are people who enjoy making up and spreading untrue “predictions” pretending to be science of future disasters caused by astronomical events. I believe you have been told one of these scary stories dressed up as science. I’m glad you asked this question and hope I have alleviated your concerns.

      hessy · November 10, 2013 at 18:05

      Of course a comet affects the sun, every comet that carries some form of magnetic energy does, the suns not like earth its got many magnetic poles, when the comet passes within a million miles of the sun it defiantly causes flairs, even nassa shows videos of this all the time, sun grazing comets …. ison is 1 of these tho its not on the same orbital path as most of the others.

      If a big solar flair hit us at any time it would fry satellites and the grid, nothing to suggest this is going to happen but nothing to say it wont, weve been warned about flairs for years, nothing you can do, grid ever does go down be every man and his dog for them self.

        admin · November 11, 2013 at 10:41

        when the comet passes within a million miles of the sun it defiantly causes flairs, even nassa shows videos of this all the time

        If this is true why don’t astronomers believe this?

        If a big solar flair hit us at any time it would fry satellites and the grid, nothing to suggest this is going to happen but nothing to say it wont, weve been warned about flairs for years, nothing you can do

        I find this deplorably alarmist.

        grid ever does go down be every man and his dog for them self.

        That’s a very depressing opinion.

    Curt · September 4, 2013 at 16:59

    I came here from ISON being brought up in a forum conversation about the Gov’t planning “drills” for a simulated power grid shutdown for November. Supposedly the same days we’re supposed to have a tail pass through. So THIS question really interests me now. Google it, it made the NY Times even. First I’ve heard of it was this morning.

      admin · September 5, 2013 at 09:38

      Hi Curt, you’re right that there’s an exercise to look at the vulnerabilities of the north American power grid in November, but the Earth doesn’t pass through the comet’s dust tail until mid-January 2014 not November 2013. So the two events are not connected.

        SSgt A · September 24, 2013 at 16:19

        Admin,
        I am prior military and have a suspicion that the two events may be more connected than we realize.
        If they are conducting drills in November, it could be to detect and repair these deficiencies before they become a ‘real’ problem.
        This reminds of reading of the Sept 2, 1859 CME that took out the telegraph systems. If they have even a thought that this could create problems, it is only wise to give a 30-60 day timeframe to prepare effectively.
        This is based upon my experience in the military (and am still in govt service). I know how they conducts exercises/drills because of credible threats, but then tell everyone that everything is okay. That is to ensure that ‘mass chaos’ is kept a minimal, respectable level.

          admin · September 25, 2013 at 07:57

          I am sorry to hear you are so worried.

          Two years ago people were telling me they believed the US government was preparing underground shelters, internment camps and martial law to coincide with the perihelion of Comet Elenin. None of that was true.

          Anyway, here in the UK there is precisely zero official activity to prepare for Comet ISON. That is how it should be as there is nothing to fear.

Patty · July 7, 2013 at 22:08

What about power outs???

    admin · July 7, 2013 at 22:47

    I’m sorry, but can you explain your question?

Matt · April 21, 2013 at 21:02

how long does it take for this comet to make a complete circle? and where did it come from? has it ever been in our solar system?

    admin · April 22, 2013 at 11:07

    ISON is a new comet coming freshly from the Oort Cloud, the little-known shell of literally trillions of comet nuclei lying tens of thousands of AU from the Sun. The Oort cloud is part of the Solar System, but this comet has never been in the inner Solar System before. This comet has been orbiting the Sun out here for billions of years (with a period of tens of thousands of years), until something perturbed it into its current sungrazing orbit.

    The comet’s curent orbit is parabolic which means it isn’t a complete elipse,so it will speed around the Sun and hurtle off into space, never to be seen again.

      mat · November 25, 2013 at 13:52

      “.. until something perturbed it into its current .. ” any speculation on this? God playing pool 🙂 ?

      BBC Horizon mentions an others Star gravitation as perturbation, however wouldn’t we in such an event expect to see more comets from the “densely” populated Oort cloud to head home (sun)?

      wishing for a safe sun-grazing and a larg trail for xmas

      cheers Mat

        admin · November 27, 2013 at 09:56

        The event which perturbed ISON’s orbit, sending it sunwards happened a long time ago. I would not be surprised if other comets were perturbed at the same time and have been sporadically coming our way for millions of years. If have no idea how this could be proven though.

Dr David Johnson · April 10, 2013 at 12:09

Hot Pixels?? Really is that the best you can do? Nonsense!

(Edited slightly for language- Admin)

    admin · April 10, 2013 at 14:01

    Well that’s what the gentleman who took the image said. See Pete Lawrence’s twitter feed ( ‏@Avertedvision)for 19 January

    “they are hot pixels which got through despite the frames being dark-calibrated. I can prove this now.”

    See also http://www.cometisonnews.com/comet-ison-7-companions/

      Dr David Johnson · April 15, 2013 at 23:34

      Looked at the Raw Images as well, there not hot pixels.. Not sure why this is an issue, as we already know that some objects do break apart and follow. Shoemaker Levi 9 for instance.. So whats the Big deal. Been in this business for 30 yrs now, and I have to disagres with the Pixel idea.

        Dr David Johnson · April 15, 2013 at 23:51

        Ive looked at Petes idea, and do not concur.

          Pete Lawrence · April 16, 2013 at 14:42

          If you’re talking about my animation and the dots which appear to follow the comet – they are hot pixels. I can prove this. If you don’t concur I invite you to put up your ‘evidence’ first.

        Jacob · October 2, 2013 at 13:01

        Well what about the electric clouds and invisible meteor shower? Is it deadly

          admin · October 2, 2013 at 14:55

          I’m pleased to say that the “electric clouds” do not exist and no meteor shower has ever hurt anyone. We’re in no danger from this comet.

joey · March 24, 2013 at 00:32

Duh and Double Duh what is the comet interacts with the sun

    admin · March 25, 2013 at 11:26

    I’m sorry, I don’t understand. Can you clarify what you are asking?

    heckolly · November 7, 2013 at 17:21

    Presume you meant “what IF the comet ..” It will be like throwing a tiny ball-bearing into (or near) a huge bonfire. Burn-up, break-up, melt and bye-bye !!

joey · March 24, 2013 at 00:17

Duh what if the comet is not made up of dust and ice.

    admin · March 25, 2013 at 11:25

    Well if it isn’t made of dust, ice and rock, it will still follow it’s orbital path 100% but won’t develop much of a tail. Note there is zero evidence to suggest that this is not a pretty standard comet.

    biggee96@live.com · October 26, 2013 at 20:42

    There is no ice in comets.

      admin · October 28, 2013 at 08:58

      I’m not sure why you are saying that. According to The distribution of water ice in the interior of Comet Tempel 1 (Sunshine et al.):

      The Deep Impact flyby spacecraft includes a 1.05 to 4.8 μm infrared (IR) spectrometer. Although ice was not observed on the surface in the
      impact region, strong absorptions near 3 μm due to water ice are detected in IR measurements of the ejecta from the impact event. Absorptions
      from water ice occur throughout the IR dataset beginning three seconds after impact through the end of observations, ~45 min after impact.
      Spatially and temporally resolved IR spectra of the ejecta are analyzed in conjunction with laboratory impact experiments. The results imply an
      internal stratigraphy for Tempel 1 consisting of devolatilized materials transitioning to unaltered components at a depth of approximately one
      meter. At greater depths, which are thermally isolated from the surface, water ice is present. Up to depths of 10 to 20 m, the maximum depths
      excavated by the impact, these pristine materials consist of very fine grained (~1±1 μm) water ice particles, which are free from refractory impurities.

jake · March 10, 2013 at 00:39

Nowhere can I find any mention of the size/mass of the comet nucleus itself. Any respectable data?

    admin · March 12, 2013 at 14:09

    I don’t these these are available yet. Any values you will see will be estimates based on the comet’s brightness and educated guesses of its reflectivity. I will update this post when I get some.

Arianna · March 5, 2013 at 21:19

How long is the comet’s tail?

    admin · March 6, 2013 at 13:27

    The only value I’ve seen is “over 65000 km in length and growing” according to http://waitingforison.wordpress.com/updates-and-images/.

      Gareth · October 29, 2013 at 11:15

      Very misinformed people are waffling Dross about this comet.

      Mathematics & Physics seem to be beyond the minds of Amateur (mostly) American film makers.

        mr mark · July 27, 2014 at 04:33

        Join the Illuminati cult today and get instant sum of 15milliondollars after initiation and with a free home anywhere you choose to live in the world and also get 2millionnaira monthly as salary so will want you to know now that you are now if you are a you member after the initiation power and famous we be give to you and also 20millionusd we be giving to you as a new member that recognize all over the world information below.
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      Limey · November 7, 2013 at 18:01

      I am more interested in the hydrogen cyanide in the tail of Ion that we will pass through. Same gas that Hitler and Saddaam used.

        admin · November 8, 2013 at 10:35

        Please be aware that the concentration of this gas in in any comet’s tail is so low that it would have no observable effect on our atmosphere even if Earth was somehow right behind the comet. Earth will not pass through Comet ISON’s gas tail, but our planet has passed through other comets’ tails, notably Halley’s in 1910. We’re still here.

    BOB · November 19, 2013 at 18:57

    1000 miles long

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