Explanation:
Will Comet ISON survive tomorrow's close encounter with the Sun?
Approaching to within a solar diameter of the
Sun's surface, the
fate of one of the most unusual comets of modern times will finally be determined.
The comet could shed a great amount of
ice and dust into a developing tail -- or
break apart completely.
Unfortunately, the closer
Comet ISON
gets to the Sun, the harder it
has been for conventional telescopes to see the
brightening comet in the glare of the morning Sun.
Pictured in the
above short time lapse
video,
Comet ISON was captured
rising over the
Canary Islands
just above the morning Sun a few days ago.
If the comet's
nucleus survives, the
coma and the
tails it sheds might
well be visible rising ahead of the Sun in the next few days or weeks.
Alternatively,
satellites watching the Sun might document
one of the larger
comet disintegrations yet recorded.
Stay tuned!
If Time Continues:
Free APOD 2014 Calendar in PDF format
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
