New comet will fly by in 2013! And it could be brighter than the Full Moon

[G_j]

http://io9.com/5946859/new-comet-will-fly-by-in-2013-and-it-could-be-brighter-than-the-full-moon?utm_campaign=socialflow_io9_twitter&utm_source=io9_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow


New comet will fly by in 2013! And it could be brighter than the Full Moon


George Dvorsky

Russian astronomers using the International Scientific Optical Network's (ISON) telescope have discovered a comet that's scheduled to make its closest appearance to Earth in December of 2013. Called C/2012 S1, it's expected to be the brighest visitor to our solar system in the past century — a comet that'll be considerably brighter than Hale-Bopp (1997) and Halley's Comet (1986). The disintevaporating hunk of ice and rock could be visible for up to three months.

The comet was discovered on September 21 by Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok. The object will hit its perihelion (its closest approach to the Sun) on November 28, 2013 at a distance of 0.012 AU, or 1,800,000 miles. On October 1, 2013, the comet will swing by Mars, and then the Earth on December 26, 2013.

Experts predict it could become a rather spectacular sight in the night sky — but that's assuming it doesn't disintegrate before then. As witnessed by Elenin last year, a comet can break-up at any given time, particularly as it gets closer to the Sun.

Writing in Red Orbit, Lawrence Le Blond notes that C/2012 S1 is currently hanging out just beyond the orbit of Jupiter. "The comet is currently very faint, but as it approaches the Sun, it will steadily brighten," he writes, "It will be easily picked up by experienced amateur astronomers with CCD equipment in the coming months, and will be within binocular view by late summer 2013, and eventually by the naked eye in early November. Depending on brightness, the comet should remain visible to the naked eye from early November 2013 to mid-January 2014."


..more..

[Brickbat]

1. Is it called Kohoutek?

[trackfan]

6. Geez, you beat me to it.

And I wasted a minute googling it to confirm the spelling.

[Brickbat]

10. I posted, then went off to google to confirm the spelling.

Hee!

[democrat_patriot]

2. Hope their calclators work, and it doesn't become 'fly into'

.

[Lochloosa]

3. As long as they are using the metric system and not inches....oh wait.

[DawgHouse]

7. No worries. The world is ending on 12/21/12 anyway! n/t

[Matariki]

19. Yeah, except everyone know that that is off by a year

so it would actually be 12/21/13... oh wait...

[Pab Sungenis]

4. Nibiru!

[louis-t]

5. Yikes! "Night of the Comet"

A Sci-Fi cult classic from 1984. Comet turns everyone exposed to it into zombies. A record album I was on in 1980 was used as a prop in that movie.

[Ash_F]

8. I missed the one in 1987

Hope I can catch this one.

[onehandle]

9. I hope so. I've been waiting my whole life for a truly spectacular out of orbit event.

All the comets in our lifetimes have been weak at best.

In orbit-wise I've spotted a couple of bolides. One crackled and exploded audibly.

Here's hoping.

[Liberal Veteran]

12. Hale-Bopp and Hyakutake were pretty good.

1996-97 were good years for comets.

[onehandle]

15. Neither were brighter than the brightest stars. Nowhere near a good angle on Venus.

That being said, they were exciting.

But I want to, in my lifetime, see at least one celestial event that will scare the crap out of the uninformed.

[WolverineDG]

17. Seriously???

Hale-Bopp looked like a streak of white-out in the sky!!

[Arctic Dave]

11. Jesus, is that you?

Where are going to find three wise men?

[ToxMarz]

14. Hint: don't look in the Republican party.

[Grey]

13. December, bright star......?

[BumRushDaShow]

16. I remember Hale-Bopp

which was spectacular where I live. At one point I could see it in the early evening facing one way and then very early in the morning facing another way (I think rotated about 45 degrees).

Will be cool to see another!! Haley's was a big dud in comparison and Hyakutake seemed more a blob. Kahoutek was a nothing.

[benld74]

18. I too recall Hale-Bopp

our oldest was around 3

[BlueToTheBone]

20. Damn! We're all going to miss it!