Viewing Comet ISON around Thanksgiving

[Dogtown]

Even though this is a gun forum filled with people suspicious or downright hostile to science, I suspect at least a few of you would get a kick out of spotting comet ISON in the coming days. It should be reaching perihelion around Turkey Day and if it survives skimming the surface of the Sun, it should put on a spectacular light show! With it currently so close to the Sun, it's nearly impossible to safely view without special equipment. The SDO satellite however will be imaging the comet during this window and we'll be able to follow it in real time on this site:

Comet ISON - Comet ISON Viewing

It's been hard to predict with any confidence whether it will survive the massively increased sublimation and tidal forces with such a close approach, but since it appears to still be intact at this point I'd say the odds are pretty good. If it survives, then right after Thanksgiving we should be able to spot it just after dusk or right before dawn when the Sun is below the horizon. The trick is to spot Venus, which should be the brightest "star" in the sky and start scanning to the right. Heavens-Above is a good place to figure out where in the sky you should be looking from your location.

More detailed information from the scientific community can be found at the Planetary Society website:
Comet ISON live blog | The Planetary Society

 

[dogmessiah]

Thanks for posting, I will look for it in the sky. Viewing conditions should be pretty good here in the desert southwest tomorrow night.

 

[Dogtown]

Here's what it looked like somewhat recently before taking the plunge.

 

[Grizzdude]

Thanks for sharing, I hope it stays intact. It would be one heck of a show!

 

[truth]

I love this stuff. Nothing makes ya feel smaller and less important than galactic perspective.

 

[Slapchop]

Even though this is a gun forum filled with people suspicious or downright hostile to science...

I don't think people here are "hostile" to science. I personally think science is both captivating and fascinating. What I don't care for is scientists thinking that they have the answers to everything, when things sprout up everyday which clearly demonstrates that as a species there are a lot of things that we have very little comprehension of.

Anyway, cool post man and I will definitely be on the look out for this thing. On a related topic, I've been looking to get a decent telescope. I'm interested in something along the lines that an astronomy enthusiast would have. Is there anyway you can point me in the right direction?

 

[Dogtown]

I think people's religious and politically-driven emotions get pinged when science tells them things they don't want to hear, so they naturally become selectively hostile. The scientific community is fully aware of the limits of their knowledge and will tell you "we don't know" faster than any clergyman or political pundit will. And trying to argue well established or confirmed evidence and data with subjective opinion I consider a kind of wilful ignorance or downright hostility; something akin to being politically correct ("oh yeah! you think you're smarter than me with your stupid science stuff!?")

As for getting started, a pair of binos or using your spotting scope is a good start. You don't need anything big an expensive at first but like precision shooting, if you find that you're reaching a plateau in the capabilities of your equipment and want to be able to do more, then investing in a good rig is the next step. This old article covers the bases pretty well...

Buying a telescope | Astronomy.com

 

[ChaosKid]

I don't think people here are "hostile" to science. I personally think science is both captivating and fascinating. What I don't care for is scientists thinking that they have the answers to everything, when things sprout up everyday which clearly demonstrates that as a species there are a lot of things that we have very little comprehension of.

Anyway, cool post man and I will definitely be on the look out for this thing. On a related topic, I've been looking to get a decent telescope. I'm interested in something along the lines that an astronomy enthusiast would have. Is there anyway you can point me in the right direction?

Telescopes are like guns in that there is no one scope that does it all. You need to have one that matches your observing conditions. Binoculars are ideal for wide-field views and are the best tools for comets and sweeping through star fields. A decent pair of 7x50 or 10x50's are hand-holdable and you can get by for $200 or $300.

Refractors are nice, but they require a mount (Alt-azimuth =cheap / german equatorial w/tracking = expensive, but nice). Long focal length refractors are good for lunar and planetary, not so good for comets. I really would not consider a refractor unless you were willing to spend at least a thousand.

Best bang for you buck is a 8" to 10" dobsonian with two good eyepieces. You get decent aperture (light-gathering ability) and color free optics. This is very important for planetary viewing. And at this aperture your getting into the light-gathering capacity required for some deep-sky stuff like galaxies and nebulae. You'll need to be away from city lights for the faint, fuzzy stuff. Cost equal 500 or 600 and up.

As far as range of costs, the sky's the limit.

I've got some of each of these, and I pick my weapon to suit my target, and the environment in which I am working in.

Tim S

 

[Slapchop]

Dogtown, thank you for your insight and opinions. Although the article was dated, I still took a lot of information from it.

ChaosKid, I appreciate you taking the time out to post such a detailed response. I'm going to further research this. For now, I have a decent pair of Ziess 10x50s that should allow me to view this comet in the coming days.

 

[ChaosKid]

Dogtown, thank you for your insight and opinions. Although the article was dated, I still took a lot of information from it.

ChaosKid, I appreciate you taking the time out to post such a detailed response. I'm going to further research this. For now, I have a decent pair of Ziess 10x50s that should allow me to view this comet in the coming days.

If I recall correctly, there was a guy, former NY law enforcement who works at Adorama in NYC. Name is Mike Peeples. He was their astro guy. I met him some time ago when he worked at High-Point Scientific in north NJ.

 

[Dogtown]

Yep, a good pair of binos like that will likely give you the opportunity to pick out the dust AND the ion tails. And as mentioned, getting away from light pollution is key. I used to have to drive a couple hours away from Los Angeles for any decent star gazing, but since I moved to New Zealand I can pretty much do it whenever the sky is clear, even while living near the second largest city in the country.

 

[Slapchop]

ChaosKid, the name doesn't ring a bell but the store certainly does. Although I have to admit that I'm a fan of B&H when it comes to anything having to do with electronics or optics.

Dogtown, where I live there aren't too many lights lol. Horse country and dairy farms. Pitch black outside once the sun sets unless of course there is a full moon. Now you got me looking forward to this.