Comet ISON, which was predicted immediately after discovery record brightness, only a few days was available for observation with the naked eye – now she has come too close to the Sun and there is practically no chance to see her, an employee told RIA Novosti Crimean Astrophysical Observatory Gennady Borisov.
“Now we can’t observe her, we are waiting for her to appear after perihelion. In about two weeks, we can also watch in the morning, “said the astronomer.
Photos from open Sources According to him, a few days ago the brightness of the comet sharply increased – by two magnitudes, which may be due to the release of matter on a comet. Now, according to scientists, its brightness reached the 5th magnitude, one unit brighter than the faintest stars, accessible to the naked eye.
“A couple of days ago she could be seen with a simple eye. Now the comet is visible only in the morning, in the rays of the predawn Sun, in under ideal conditions it can and can be seen, but it’s unlikely, ” – said Borisov.
Photo from open sources Comet will pass the point closest to the Sun orbits on November 28, and in early December, will appear in the sky with another side of the sun. “If it does not collapse, like Comet Elenin, she will be brighter than now, maybe 3rd or 4th magnitude, I I’m not sure that it will be of zero value, as predicted, “- said the astronomer.
Comet C / 2012 S1 (ISON) was discovered in 2012 by the Russian amateur astronomer Artem Novichonk and his Belarusian counterpart Vitaly Nevsky. At the end of November, this comet will pass near the Sun. Scientists believed that at this time the comet could reach brightness the full moon and become the brightest comet of the decade.
Photos from open sources of
One or more large fragments could separate into the last few days from the nucleus of comet ISON – that’s exactly explained by the appearance of wing-like structures in her tail and the sharp increase in brightness, according to German astronomers.
Comet ISON shortly after its discovery in September 2012 predicted record brightness. Some astronomers predicted that she will reach the brightness of the full moon, and perhaps become herself vibrant in this decade. However, the forecasts have not come true so far – the brightness of the comet grew very slowly, and some scientists thought that it has already begun to collapse and may disappear before it reaches perihelion.
However, on November 7, the brightness of the comet suddenly increased sharply, some observers reported a sharp increase in activity in its core. Scientists from the German Institute for Solar System Research and Ludwig-Maximilian University Observatory in Munich 14 and 16 November made a series of observations of the comet and may have discovered the reason for the surge in brightness.
In the pictures, astronomers saw two jet-like jets, which made their way from two sides of the comet’s nucleus. “Such entities usually occur after individual fragments come off nuclei, ”explains Hermann Bohnhardt of the Institute Solar system.
Like the comet’s core, its fragments emit jets of gas and dust. When they encounter nuclear outbursts, a borderline is formed. wing-like layer. “Our calculations showed that ISON lost only one or at most several fragments. However how shows experience, comets that lose one fragment are prone to repeat this experience, “says the scientist.
The further fate of the comet is unknown: a week later, on November 28, the comet must go through perihelion – the point of orbit closest to the Sun – and its brightness should reach a maximum. However, it is possible that the comet may collapse.
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