Comet ISON will pass just 1.2 million km from the Sun on 29 November 2013 (Australian time). From Earth it will be about one degree from the Sun. At that time it may appear sufficiently bright to be visible in daytime, however, comets are notoriously fickle and this one may not perform as expected. There will be updates on this blog as the date approaches. It will probably be worth trying to look in the vicinity of the Sun a day or two before closest approach and for a few days after. NOTE that it is always dangerous to look directly at the Sun. Do not use telescopes or binoculars to search for the comet, just your unaided eyes and block the Sun with a post or other convenient object. Take extreme care! In the week or two before closest approach to the Sun or perihelion the comet will be visible low in the east before sunrise. It should be getting brighter, but also closer to the horizon each morning. If the comet grows a visible tail, it should be pointing upwards, away from the rising Sun. After perihelion as the comet moves towards the Earth we will not be able to get much of a look from the southern hemisphere. It will be neither an evening nor a morning object for in the evenings the comet will set before the Sun and in the mornings it will rise with the Sun. Assuming the comet does not fade away like some comets of the past, for those of us in the southern hemisphere the best chance to see Comet ISON will be from mid to late November 2013 in the mornings before sunrise and in the daytime about the date of perihelion on 29 November 2013. As indicated above, watch this blog for updates and take extreme care when looking in the direction of the Sun. sydneyobservatory.au/2012/will-comet-ison-put-on-a-show-from-the-southern-hemisphere-near-the-end-of-2013/
Posted on: Tue, 26 Nov 2013 01:38:33 +0000