[meteorite-list] Big Sun-diving Comet Discovered: Comet C/2012 S1(ISON)

From: Matson, Robert D. <ROBERT.D.MATSON_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 25 Sep 2012 10:55:49 -0700
Message-ID: <7C640E28081AEE4B952F008D1E913F17061FC878_at_0461-its-exmb04.us.saic.com>

Hi Ron/List,

Given the length of the current arc (270 days), and the consistency of
the
photometry over that time, I will go out on a limb and say that this
will
almost certainly become the brightest comet that has ever been seen --
by
a significant margin -- by most people alive today.

What's particularly amazing is how close this comet will come to Mars
around October 1st next year -- less than 7 million miles! Hopefully
NASA/JPL will have plans in the works to schedule instrument pointing
and imaging of the comet using the suite of sensors both on and in orbit
around the Red Planet. For Mars, this will be a northern hemisphere
comet -- certainly visible from both rovers. --Rob

-----Original Message-----
From: meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com
[mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com] On Behalf Of Ron
Baalke
Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2012 8:57 AM
To: Meteorite Mailing List
Subject: [meteorite-list] Big Sun-diving Comet Discovered: Comet C/2012
S1(ISON)



Space Weather News for Sept. 25, 2012
http://spaceweather.com

SUNDIVING COMET: Astronomers are paying close attention to a
newly-discovered comet, C/2012 S1 (ISON), which is heading for a
remarkably close encounter with the sun. Fierce solar heat could turn
Comet ISON into a bright naked-eye object in Nov.
2013. First images and speculation about the comet are highlighted on
today's edition of http://spaceweather.com
Received on Tue 25 Sep 2012 01:55:49 PM PDT