Comet ISON Lives!

Space Weather News for Nov. 29, 2013
http://spaceweather.com

COMET ISON LIVES:  Cancel the funeral. Comet ISON is back from the dead. Yesterday, Nov. 28th, Comet ISON flew through the sun's atmosphere and appeared to disintegrate before the cameras of several NASA and ESA spacecraft. This prompted reports of the comet's demise. Today, the comet has revived and is rapidly brightening.  Visit http://spaceweather.com for images and updates.

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Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling

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Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--

Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--

Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/

--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Information

[BAA-ebulletin 00775] Comet 2012 S1 (ISON)

======================================================================
BAA electronic bulletin
======================================================================
It seems that the comet has survived its close encounter with the Sun, thus increasing the chances of there being something to see in the coming weeks. You will need to get up early as the comet is most likely to be seen between 06:30 and 07:00 low in the east-south-east over the next few days, most likely from December 3 onwards. Tomorrow morning is probably too soon, but you never know, particularly if the comet is brighter than expected.  For the next week you will need a clear horizon as well as clear skies as the comet is very low down.  It gets higher in the sky, but will fade, though the tail may become more prominent.  The best views might come around 06:00 between December 7 and 14, and at the end of this period you might also see a few Geminid shooting stars.  By mid December it will be visible in the evening, and by Christmas it will be visible all night, though you may need binoculars to see it.   Sky & Telescope have some finder charts at http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/ataglance

There is another comet visible from the UK, 2013 R1 (Lovejoy), which may be seen in binoculars as a fuzzy patch, about half the size of the Moon, roughly 15 degrees west of the Plough near the top of Bootes.  It is at nearly the same altitude as the Plough at 18:00.  It continues to move west at two to three degrees per day.

Jonathan Shanklin
Director, Comet Section
======================================================================
BAA-ebulletin mailing list visit:
http://lists.britastro.org/mailman/listinfo/baa-ebulletin
(c) 2013 British Astronomical Association    http://www.britastro.org/
======================================================================

--

Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling

--

Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--

Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--

Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/

--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)

Comet ISON Disintegrates

Space Weather News for  Nov. 28, 2013
http://spaceweather.com

RIP, Comet ISON? Evidence is mounting that Comet ISON did not survive its brush with the sun on Nov. 28th.  SOHO coronagraph images show the comet apparently disintegrating, while first-look images from the Solar Dynamics Observatory did not detect the comet moving along its expected path through the sun's atmosphere. Check http://spaceweather.com for movies and updates.

UNIQUE CHRISTMAS GIFT:  Would you like to give someone a solar flare for Christmas?  Click here to find out how: https://spaceweatherphone.com/SMSSignup/phone_sign_up.php?Signup_Type=BuySpaceWeatherGift

--

Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling

--

Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--

Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--

Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/

--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Information

Solar wind buffets Comet ISON--new movies from NASA

Space Weather News for Nov. 25, 2013
http://spaceweather.com

COMETS IN THE SOLAR WIND: NASA's STEREO-A spacecraft is obtaining some marvelous footage of Comet ISON and Comet Encke being buffeted by gusts of solar wind.  So far the two comets have avoided a direct strike by a CME, but a solar storm in the days ahead could have dramatic effects.  For movies and more, visit  http://spaceweather.com.

BE THE FIRST TO KNOW: Would you like to be the first to know when a solar flare blasts Comet ISON? X-flare alerts are available from http://spaceweathertext.com (text) and http://spaceweatherphone.com (voice).

--

Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling

--

Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--

Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--

Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/

--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Information

SPA ENB No. 365

 

The SOCIETY for POPULAR ASTRONOMY         Electronic News Bulletin No. 365  2013 November 24 Here is the latest round-up of news from the Society for Popular Astronomy.  The SPA is Britain's liveliest astronomical society, with members all over the world.  We accept subscription payments online at our secure site and can take credit and debit cards.  You can join or renew via a secure server or just see how much we have to offer by visiting    http://www.popastro.com/ COMET ISON NASA Comet ISON is now within the orbit of the Earth as it plunges headlong towards the Sun for a close encounter on November 28.  Although it is not as bright as many forecasts predicted, it is putting on a fair show for observatories around the Solar System.  Spacecraft and amateur astronomers alike are taking pictures of the comet's green coma and filamentary double tail.  Because ISON has never passed through the inner Solar System before (it is a first-time visitor from the distant Oort cloud), experts do not know what will happen next. Astronomers say that there are three possible outcomes: 1)  Disintegration before November 28.     Some comets have disintegrated.  Recent examples include Comet LINEAR (C/1999 S4) in 2000 and Comet Elenin (C/2010 X1) in 2011. ISON is now reaching the region near the Sun where such comets have disintegrated.  ISON is being observed by so many telescopes on Earth and beyond that, if it does disintegrate, it will be the best-observed case of cometary disruption in history. 2)  Disintegration and/or evaporation around November 28.     If ISON survives the next few days intact, it faces a very close approach to the Sun.  At perihelion, its equilibrium temperature will be about 2700°C, hot enough to vaporize much of the dust and rock on its surface.  While it may seem incredible that anything could survive such a high temperature, the rate at which ISON might evaporate is small in comparison with the size of the comet's nucleus. ISON needs to be about 200 m across to survive; current estimates of its actual size are in the range 500-2000 m.  It helps that the comet is moving very fast, so it will not be exposed for long to such a high temperature.  But even if it survives the rapid vaporization of its exterior, it will get so close to the Sun that the Sun's gravity might cause it to disintegrate.  Destroyed comets can still be spectacular, though.  Sun-grazing Comet Lovejoy, for instance, passed within 100,000 miles of the Sun's surface in 2011 December.  It disintegrated, forming a spectacular tail of dust. 3)  Survival     The final case is straightforward: ISON survives its brush with the Sun and emerges with enough nuclear material to continue as an active comet.  If it survives intact, it will probably lose enough dust near the Sun to produce a fine tail, which at best might stretch for tens of degrees and grace the early-morning sky somewhat as Comet McNaught (C/2006 P1) did in 2007. ASTEROID WITH SIX COMET-LIKE TAILS NASA Astronomers using the Hubble telescope have seen an asteroid, designated P/2013 P5, with six comet-like tails of dust.  The tail structures have changed dramatically in just 13 days as the comet has ejected dust, as it has been doing from time to time for at least some months.  Astronomers believe that the asteroid's rotation rate may have increased to the point where its surface has started to fly away.  They do not believe that the tails are the result of an impact with another asteroid, because they have not seen a large quantity of dust produced all at once.  Scientists using the Pan-STARRS survey telescope in Hawaii announced their discovery of the asteroid on August 27.  P/2013 P5 appeared as an unusually fuzzy-looking object. The multiple tails were discovered when Hubble was used to take a more detailed image on September 10.  When Hubble looked at the asteroid again on September 23, its appearance had totally changed; it looked as if the entire structure had swung round. Modelling by the Max Planck Institute for Solar-System Research in Lindau suggested that the tails could have been formed by a series of impulsive dust-ejection events, on about April 15, July 18 and 24, August 8 and 26, and September 4.  Radiation pressure from the Sun stretched the dust into streamers.  Radiation pressure could also have spun the asteroid up to such an extent that its weak gravity no longer could hold it together.  If that happened, dust etc could slide to its equator, shatter and fall off, and drift into space to make a tail. So far, probably only about 100 to 1,000 tons of dust has been lost. The asteroid's nucleus, about 300 m across, is thousands of times more massive than the estimated amount of ejected dust.  Astronomers will continue observing P/2013 P5 to see whether the dust leaves the asteroid in the equatorial plane.  If it does, that would be strong evidence for a rotational breakup.  It appears that P/2013 P5 is a fragment of a larger asteroid that broke apart in a collision roughly 200 million years ago; there are many other fragments in similar orbits.  Meteorites thought to have come from those bodies show evidence of having been heated to as much as 800°C, making it likely that the asteroid is composed of metamorphic rocks and does not hold any ice as a comet does. DAWN SPACECRAFT PROMPTS REVISION OF VESTA'S HISTORY NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory Data from the Dawn mission suggest that the history of the asteroid Vesta is more complicated than was previously thought.  If Vesta's formation had followed the script for the formation of rocky planets like our own, heat from the interior would have created distinct, separated layers of rock (generally, a core, mantle and crust).  In that case, the mineral olivine should be concentrated in the mantle. But Dawn's observations of the huge southern-hemisphere craters that exposed the lower crust and should have excavated the mantle did not find evidence of olivine there.  Instead, there were clear signatures of olivine in the surface material in the northern hemisphere.  Such blatant discrepancies from expectation must indicate, at the very least, that Vesta has had a more complex evolutionary history than had been supposed. BLACK HOLES FOUND IN GLOBULAR STAR CLUSTERS Texas Tech University Globular star clusters are large groupings of stars thought to contain some of the oldest stars in the Universe.  In the same distance as from the Sun to Proxima Centauri, globular star clusters could have a million to tens of millions of stars.  The stars are close enough together to collide with one another occasionally.  It was believed that the interaction of stars would be liable to eject any black holes that formed.  While that theory may still be wrong, astronomers have said it might still be somewhat true.  Black holes might still get ejected from globular clusters, but not as readily as initially believed. In 2007, researchers made the first discovery of a black hole in a globular star cluster, in the external galaxy NGC 4472.  They found it by seeing X-ray emission from the gas falling into the black hole and heating up to a few million degrees.  Now researchers from Texas have discovered the first examples of black holes in a globular cluster in our own Galaxy.  They used the Very Large Array of radio telescopes in New Mexico, and detected a certain type of emission made by holes as they assimilate stars.  When a hole captures a star, most of the material falls into the hole, but some is thrown outwards in a jet, with the emission of a characteristic type of radio signal. HUBBLE OBSERVES SUPERNOVAE NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Supernovae occur when stars reach the ends of their 'lives' with dramatic explosions, expelling most of their material into space. Last year, a supernova called SN 2012im occurred in the spiral galaxy NGC 6984.  Now another star in the same galaxy has exploded, forming supernova SN 2013ek.  SN 2012im is called a Type Ic supernova, while 2013ek is a Type Ib.  Both types are caused by the core collapse of massive stars that have shed their outer layers of hydrogen.  Type Ic supernovae are thought to have lost more of their outer envelope than Type Ib, including a layer of helium.  Hubble observations taken on August 19 were intended to locate the new explosion more precisely. It is so close to last year's that the two events seem to be linked -- the chance of two completely independent supernovae so close together exploding within a year of one another is very small.  It was initially suggested that the new one might be the old one somehow flaring up again, but further observations indicate that they are separate supernovae -- although they may be related in some as-yet- unknown way. MAVEN MARS ORBITER NASA Billions of years ago when the Solar System was young, Mars was a very different world from the one it is today.  Liquid water flowed in long rivers that emptied into lakes and shallow seas and a thick atmosphere blanketed the planet and kept it warm.  In that environment, living microbes might have found a home, starting Mars on a path to becoming a second life-filled planet next to our own.  Today, Mars is bitterly cold and desiccated.  Its thin atmosphere provides scant cover for a surface marked by dry riverbeds and empty lakes.  In an effort to find out what happened, NASA has sent to Mars a new orbiter called MAVEN ['Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN'!], which is due to arrive in September next year. Mars could have been wet and warm 4 billion years ago only if it then had a thick atmosphere.  A thick blanket of CO2 and other greenhouse gases would have provided the warmer temperatures and the greater atmospheric pressure required to keep liquid water from freezing solid or boiling away.  Something caused Mars to lose that blanket.  One possibility is the solar wind.  Unlike the Earth, Mars is not protected by a global magnetic field.  Instead, there are 'magnetic umbrellas' scattered around the planet, that shelter only part of the atmosphere.  Erosion of exposed areas by the solar wind might have slowly stripped the atmosphere away over billions of years.  Recent isotopic measurements of the Martian atmosphere by the rover Curiosity support that idea: light isotopes of hydrogen and argon are depleted with respect to their heavier counterparts, suggesting that they have been preferentially lost into space. Scientists have also speculated that the planet's surface might have absorbed the CO2 and locked it up in minerals such as carbonates, but in recent years Mars rovers and orbiters have failed to find enough carbonate to account for the missing gas.  MAVEN's instruments are intended to document the flow of CO2 and other molecules into space. Once scientists know how quickly Mars is losing CO2 now, they may be able to extrapolate backwards in time to estimate the total amount lost, and decide whether loss to space was the most important driver of Martian climate change. Bulletin compiled by Clive Down (c) 2013 the Society for Popular Astronomy website:  www.popastro.com

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Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling

--

Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--

Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--

Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/

--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Information

Amazing Photos of Comet ISON at Dawn

Space Weather News for Nov. 21, 2013
http://spaceweather.com

AMAZING COMET PIX: Comet ISON is plunging toward the sun for a perilous close encounter on Nov. 28th. Even experts aren't sure if the furiously vaporizing comet can survive its passage through the solar atmosphere on Thanksgiving Day.  Some of the final pictures from Earth may be coming in now--and they are amazing.  The comet, sporting a green head and streaming tail, is entering the rosy glow of dawn not far from the planet Mercury.  Visit http://spaceweather.com to see the latest images from around the world.

DON'T MISS THE NEXT SOLAR FLARE: Lately, solar activity has been high. Would you like a call when solar flares are underway? X-flare alerts are available from http://spaceweathertext.com (text) and http://spaceweatherphone.com (voice).

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Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling

--

Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--

Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--

Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/

--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Information

Comet Lovejoy Finder Chart

 

Comet ISON Finder Chart

 

Comet ISON Update

Space Weather News for Nov. 16, 2013
http://spaceweather.com

COMET ISON UPDATE: Comet ISON is now ten times brighter than it was on
Nov. 13-14 when an unexpected outburst propelled the sundiver into the
realm of naked-eye visibility. Observers around the world confirm
seeing the comet as a faint smudge low in the eastern sky before
sunrise. Backyard telescopes reveal a riot of gaseous streamers
trailing behind the comet's brightening (and possibly fragmenting)
core. With almost two weeks to go before ISON plunges into the sun's
atmosphere, it is already one of the most beautiful and active comets
in years. Current images and observing tips may be found at
http://spaceweather.com.

DON'T MISS THE NEXT SOLAR FLARE: Lately, solar activity has been high.
Would you like a call when solar flares are underway? X-flare alerts
are available from http://spaceweathertext.com (text) and
http://spaceweatherphone.com (voice).


--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and
also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland
Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)

[BAA-ebulletin 00771] Comet 2012 S1 (ISON)

======================================================================
BAA electronic bulletin
======================================================================

Comet 2012 S1 (ISON) has brightened dramatically by over two
magnitudes and is now 5th magnitude or brighter. It is not clear
whether this brightening represents a terminal disruption or a
rejeuvenation of the active areas. Only further observation will show
which is the case. On the one hand it may continue to show a well
condensed inner coma, on the other hand the coma may steadily become
more diffuse. The brightness evolution is uncertain.

The inner coma region is particularly important, and imagers need to
take many short exposures in order to avoid saturation of features.
These can be stacked to show detail both in the inner coma and the
tail region as appropriate. Many recent images are over-exposed in
the inner coma region.

Comet 2013 R1 (Lovejoy) is nearing is likely peak brightness at around
5th magnitude. Both comets are best seen just before dawn.
Unfortunately high cloud covers much of the UK (despite the weather
forecast showing clear skies in the south) and this is likely to
prevent observation. Scotland looks better placed on Sunday morning,
whilst clear skies may be more widespread on Tuesday morning.

Further information on the comet is on the Section web page at
http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/~jds

Jonathan Shanklin
Director, Comet Section

This message (and any attachments) is for the recipient only. NERC is
subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the contents of
this email and any reply you make may be disclosed by NERC unless it
is exempt from release under the Act. Any material supplied to NERC
may be stored in an electronic records management system.
======================================================================
BAA-ebulletin mailing list visit:
http://lists.britastro.org/mailman/listinfo/baa-ebulletin
(c) 2013 British Astronomical Association http://www.britastro.org/
======================================================================


--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and
also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland
Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)

Comet ISON Outburst

Space Weather News for Nov. 14, 2013
http://spaceweather.com

COMET ISON OUTBURST: Observers around the world are reporting a sharp
increase in the brightness of sundiving Comet ISON. Formerly dim, it
is now on the threshold of naked-eye visibility. Comet ISON is
plunging toward the sun for a perilous pass through the solar
atmosphere on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 28th). This could be the first
of many brightening events as intensifying solar heat erodes material
away from the comet's nucleus. For more information and updates,
visit http://spaceweather.com

DON'T MISS THE NEXT SOLAR FLARE: Lately, solar activity has been high.
Would you like a call when solar flares are underway? X-flare alerts
are available from http://spaceweathertext.com (text) and
http://spaceweatherphone.com (voice).


--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and
also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland
Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)

Goodbye, GOCE

12-11-2013 02:30 PM CET

 Last look at GOCE as it reentered Earth’s atmosphere near the Falkland Islands

Charts-info Astrosite Groningen (November 13, 2013)

Dear comet observers,

We have prepared the following new chart for our homepage:

C/2012 S1 (ISON):

- a 15x20 degrees chart for the period 14 - 21 November 2013

This new chart is now available in the charts section of our
mainpage at: http://www.shopplaza.nl/astro

Reinder Bouma/Edwin van Dijk
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------


--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and
also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland
Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)

[BAA-ebulletin 00770] Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON)

======================================================================
BAA electronic bulletin
======================================================================
This comet is now only 15 days from perihelion and it is currently
0.66 AU from the Sun. In recent days it has been seen to brighten as
expected and it is now around magnitude 7. There has also been a
noticeable increase in the level of activity within the tail. The
rather bland and uniform dust tail has been supplemented by a number
of straight gas streamers which are now relatively easy to image.

The main dust tail has broadened and is now around 1 degree long and
today's observations show that the gas tail has undergone a
disconnection event due to its interaction with the solar wind. This
is clearly visible in images obtained by BAA observer Tony Angel:

http://britastro.org/baa/index.php?view=detail&id=1908&option=com_joomgallery&Itemid=200

The comet is currently a morning object low in the eastern dawn sky
with a very short observing window before the onset of twilight.
Despite the difficult conditions it would be very worthwhile to make
an attempt to observe this object. We cannot reliably predict what
will happen in the coming weeks since we have never before seen a
comet with these characteristics pass so close to the sun. Only
continued observations will help us to tell the final tale.

It is worth noting that due to the comet's brightness and tail length
the most suitable imaging instruments are now the very popular (and
fairly common) 80mm apochromatic refractors coupled to CCDs or DSLRs.
This type of instrument tends to be portable so it can be taken to a
site with a clear eastern horizon.

Drawings, images, written accounts and visual magnitude estimates are
welcome and can be posted via email to cometobs@britastro.org. It
would help greatly if you could conform to the file naming convention
documented here:

http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/~jds/cimgname.htm

Images of this comet taken by BAA observers and others up the present
date can be seen on the BAA Comet Gallery:

http://britastro.org/baa/index.php?view=category&catid=74&option=com_joomgallery&Itemid=200

The increase in activity during the past week could be a sign that the
comet may become a naked eye object at some point around perihelion or
just after. Of course, at the time of perihelion the comet will not be
observable using basic observing techniques due to its close proximity
to the sun.

The best source of information about the comet during the next few
weeks can be found at the NASA CIOC website:

http://www.isoncampaign.org/Present

There is another naked eye comet currently available in the night sky.
This is C/2013 R1 (Lovejoy). This comet is best seen around midnight
and onwards. It is presently in Leo and images of this comet taken by
BAA observers can be found on the BAA Comet Gallery:

http://britastro.org/baa/index.php?view=category&catid=133&option=com_joomgallery&Itemid=200

Denis Buczynski
Secretary Comet Section
British Astronomical Association
======================================================================
BAA-ebulletin mailing list visit:
http://lists.britastro.org/mailman/listinfo/baa-ebulletin
(c) 2013 British Astronomical Association http://www.britastro.org/
======================================================================


--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and
also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland
Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)

Solar Activity is High as a Big Sunspot Turns to Face Earth

Space Weather News for Nov. 8, 2013
http://spaceweather.com

HIGH SOLAR ACTIVITY: This week, Jupiter-sized sunspot AR1890 unleashed
two brief but intense X-class solar flares and numerous M-class solar
flares. More eruptions are in the offing as the sunspot turns to
directly face Earth over the weekend. X-flare alerts are available
from http://spaceweathertext.com (text) and
http://spaceweatherphone.com (voice).

--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and
also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland
Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)

Charts-info Astrosite Groningen (November 10, 2013)

Dear comet observers,

We have prepared the following new chart for our homepage:

C/2013 R1 (Lovejoy):

- a 12x16 degrees chart for the period 11 - 16 November 2013

This new chart is now available in the charts section of our
mainpage at: http://www.shopplaza.nl/astro

Reinder Bouma/Edwin van Dijk
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------


--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and
also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland
Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)

Sungrazing Comet ISON now visible in binoculars

Space Weather News for Nov. 9, 2013
http://spaceweather.com

COMET NEWS: Observers around the world report that Comet ISON is now
visible in binoculars. The comet is brightening as it plunges toward
the sun for a perilous pass through the solar atmosphere on Nov. 28th.
It is not, however, the brightest comet in the night sky. As
November unfolds, there is a rare gathering of four comets rising in
the east before dawn. Visit http://spaceweather.com to find out which
one is outshining media-favorite ISON.

DON'T MISS THE NEXT SOLAR FLARE: Lately, solar activity has been high.
Would you like a call when solar flares are underway? X-flare alerts
are available from http://spaceweathertext.com (text) and
http://spaceweatherphone.com (voice).

--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and
also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland
Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)

SPA ENB No. 364

                           

The SOCIETY for POPULAR ASTRONOMY          Electronic News Bulletin No. 364   2013 November 10 Here is the latest round-up of news from the Society for Popular Astronomy.  The SPA is Britain's liveliest astronomical society, with members all over the world.  We accept subscription payments online at our secure site and can take credit and debit cards.  You can join or renew via a secure server or just see how much we have to offer by visiting    http://www.popastro.com/ ASTEROID 2013 TV135 NASA The then-undiscovered asteroid 2013 TV135 made a close approach to the Earth on Sept. 16, when it came within about 6.7 million km.  The asteroid is estimated to be about 400 m across and its orbit carries it out to about three quarters of the distance to Jupiter.  It was discovered on 2013 Oct. 8 by astronomers working at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in Ukraine.  It is one of more than 10,000 near-Earth objects that have been discovered.  With only a month of observations for an orbital period of almost four years, its orbit is still poorly determined, but it looks as if the asteroid could be back in our neighbourhood in 2032.  The object will be in the accessible part of the sky in the coming months, and the refinement of the orbit is likely to show that there is no risk of Earth impact in 2032. EXOPLANET TALLY ABOVE 1,000 BBC News The number of observed exoplanets now stands informally at 1,010, bolstered by 11 new finds from the UK's Wide-Angle Search for Planets (WASP).  The Kepler space telescope, which discovered many such planets in recent years, broke down earlier this year, but it left a list of more than 3,500 other candidates that have not yet been followed up. MOST DISTANT KNOWN GALAXY DISCOVERED University of California Astronomers have discovered the most distant galaxy yet found. The galaxy is seen as it was 'just' 700 million years after the Big Bang, when the Universe was only about 5 per cent of its current age of 13.8 billion years.  The team identified a very distant galaxy candidate in optical and infrared images taken by the Hubble telescope.  Follow-up observations, made in Hawaii by the Keck telescope with its new multi-object spectrograph 'MOSFIRE', allowed its redshift to be determined at 7.5 -- the Lyman-alpha emission line of hydrogen, whose wavelength 'at rest' is far down in the ultraviolet, was observed shifted into the red part of the spectrum.  The observations showed that the distant galaxy, prosaically named z8-GND-5296, is forming stars extremely rapidly -- producing each year stars totalling about 300 times the mass of our Sun, about 100 times the rate of star formation in the Milky Way. COULD A MILKY WAY SUPERNOVA BE VISIBLE IN NEXT 50 YEARS? Ohio State University Astronomers have estimated the odds that, some time during the next 50 years, a supernova occurring in our home galaxy will be visible to us. They think it very likely that such a supernova will be visible to telescopes operating in the infrared, but the chance that the spectacle would be visible to the naked eye in the nighttime sky is only 20 per cent or less.  We see supernovae go off in other galaxies every few days, but we could learn more about them if we can catch one in our Galaxy and study it with all available instruments, including new types such as detectors of neutrinos and gravitational waves. Astronomers' contingency plans hope to take advantage of the fact that supernovae issue neutrinos immediately after the explosion starts, but don't brighten in infrared or visible light until minutes, hours, or even days later.  So, with luck, neutrino detectors such as Super- Kamiokande in Japan would sound the alert the moment they detect neutrinos, and indicate the direction the particles were coming from. Then infrared detectors could target the location almost immediately, catching the supernova before the brightening begins.  Gravitational- wave observatories might do the same.  Not all neutrinos, however, come from supernovae -- some come from nuclear reactors, the Earth's atmosphere or the Sun -- but there have been suggestions as to how ones of supernova origin might be distinguished. For those of us who might hope to see a Milky Way supernova with our own eyes, however, the chances are low and depend on our latitude -- the southern hemisphere is favoured because most of the Galaxy is seen from there.  The last time it happened was in 1604, when Johannes Kepler observed one some 20,000 light years away in the constellation Ophiuchus.  So it would have been unproductive for anyone to have sat on the edge of his chair for the last 400 years hoping to see the next one! INDIA'S MARS-ORBITER MISSION The Planetary Society The Indian Space Research Organization has told how its 'Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle' has placed its Mars-bound spacecraft into a highly elliptical parking orbit with a perigee of 248 km and an apogee of 23,000 km.  Over an interval of about a month, six orbital manoeuvres will gradually increase the distance of the apogee, and finally a seventh one will put the craft on a path that will take it to Mars.  The cruise to Mars will take about ten months.  Its orbit round Mars will likewise be highly elliptical.  The spacecraft carries a small payload of five instruments with a total mass of 15 kilograms.  The scientific goals of the mission have not been spelt out in any detail: "Exploration of Mars surface features, morphology, mineralogy, and Martian atmosphere by indigenous scientific instruments."  ["Indigenous" means 'developed in India'.]  The instruments consist of a Lyman-alpha photometer, methane sensor, 'Exospheric Neutral Composition Analyser', colour camera and thermal-infrared imaging spectrometer. But what this mission is really about is the development of India's capability in space -- the technological objectives are the main drivers.  ISRO states three objectives: 1.  Design and realisation of a Mars orbiter able to survive and perform Earth-bound manoeuvres, cruise phase of 300 days, Mars orbit insertion/capture, and on-orbit phase around Mars. 2.  Deep-space communication, navigation, mission planning and management. 3.  Incorporate autonomous features to handle contingency situations. Each of the three is a substantial challenge, and achieving any one of them will demonstrate new capability for India. BBC CONFIRMS THAT 'THE SKY AT NIGHT' WILL CONTINUE The BBC has announced that the programme 'The Sky At Night' will continue next year.  From February, it will be in a new monthly half-hour slot on BBC4, with repeats on BBC2.  Kim Shillinglaw, Head of Commissioning for BBC Science and Natural History, says: "Sir Patrick Moore inspired generations of astronomers and I hope that, alongside the BBC's other astronomy content such as BBC2's Stargazing Live, The Sky at Night will enthuse further generations about the wonder of the night sky."  The Sky at Night was first broadcast on 1957 April 24 and continued to be presented by Sir Patrick Moore until his death in 2012, making it the longest-running programme with the same presenter in television history.  Since Moore's death, the series has been fronted by various stand-in presenters. Bulletin compiled by Clive Down (c) 2013 the Society for Popular Astronomy Society for Popular Astronomy | 36 Fairway, Keyworth This email was sent to astrocomera@googlemail.com Powered by MailerLite

--

Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling

--

Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--

Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--

Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/

--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Information

[BAA-ebulletin 00769] Morning comets

======================================================================
BAA electronic bulletin
======================================================================

For those that don't mind getting up in the early hours there are four
comets that can be seen in binoculars, although you will need large
binoculars for three of them.

Best is 2013 R1 (Lovejoy) which has brightened rapidly and is now on
the borders of naked eye visibility. It is visible from about
midnight onwards and is highest as dawn breaks. At the moment the
Beehive Cluster in Cancer makes a good starting point for sweeping
towards the comet, which looks a bit like a globular cluster, but see
the Computing Section webpages for good finder charts. Those that
don't like an early morning could wait until later in the month when
it is at its brightest, but low in the sky below the Plough.

As previously explained 2012 S1 (ISON) never looked very likely to be
the spectacular sight brighter than the full moon and visible in broad
daylight that some pundits predicted. In the event it has brightened
even more slowly than my cautious predictions. The nucleus appears to
be smaller than the normal limit for surviving perihelion, so if you
want to see the comet, now is probably the time. From a darkish site
it is visible in 20x80B, but is just a faint fuzzy patch. A telescope
may show the prominent tail that is visible in some of the excellent
images that you can see in the Section image gallery. Predicting its
future brightness is a bit of a lottery, so keep an eye on the Section
web page for the latest news, magnitude predictions for the bright
comets are usually updated on Thursdays.

2P/Encke has a long history of observation, and this is one of the
better returns for Northern Hemisphere observers. It is beginning to
drop into the dawn twilight, but can still be seen as a large fuzzy
patch. Images show a narrow gas tail.

Finally 2012 X1 (LINEAR) provided a surprise when it suddenly
brightened by five magnitudes, in an outburst similar to those seen in
17P/Holmes and 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann. It was clearly a classical
explosive outburst and images show the steadily expanding coma.
Although just visible in large binoculars, it will probably fade from
view as the coma becomes more diffuse.

Observations of the above comets are welcome, particularly visual
estimates of the total magnitude. Details of the technique and format
for reporting the observations is in the Section guide to observing
comets, of which a new issue is in preparation. As always, the
Section web page is updated several times a week and will usually have
the latest information on observable comets.

Jonathan Shanklin
Director, Comet Section

This message (and any attachments) is for the recipient only. NERC is
subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the contents of
this email and any reply you make may be disclosed by NERC unless it
is exempt from release under the Act. Any material supplied to NERC
may be stored in an electronic records management system.
======================================================================
BAA-ebulletin mailing list visit:
http://lists.britastro.org/mailman/listinfo/baa-ebulletin
(c) 2013 British Astronomical Association http://www.britastro.org/
======================================================================


--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and
also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland
Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)

Burn ATV-4, burn

Burn ATV-4, burn

05-11-2013 04:34 PM CET

 

Human spaceflight and operations image of the week: ATV Albert Einstein burns up on reentry into Earth’s atmosphere.

 

--

Good Clear Skies

--

Astrocomet

--

Colin James Watling

--

Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)

--

Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera

--

Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/

--

Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)

Charts-info Astrosite Groningen (November 4, 2013)

Dear comet observers,

We have prepared the following new chart for our homepage:

C/2012 X1 (LINEAR):

- a 4.5x6.0 degrees chart for the period 5 - 14 November 2013

These new charts are now available in the charts section of our
mainpage at: http://www.shopplaza.nl/astro

Reinder Bouma/Edwin van Dijk
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------------------


--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and
also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland
Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)

GOCE falling back to Earth....

Re-Entry expected between November the 5th-baa and November 10th.....

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1311/02goce/


--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and
also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland
Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)

Sundays Solar Eclipse....

http://earthsky.org/tonight/total-solar-eclipse-for-equatorial-africa-on-november-3?utm_source=EarthSky+News&utm_campaign=bd48fc3345-EarthSky_News&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c643945d79-bd48fc3345-393732205

--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and
also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland
Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)

Solar Eclipse on Sunday, Nov. 3rd

Space Weather News for Nov. 2, 2013
http://spaceweather.com

SOLAR ECLIPSE: Early Sunday morning, Nov. 3rd, sky watchers along the
east coast of North America might notice something missing--a piece of
the sun. A partial solar eclipse will be underway at sunrise. In the
United States, visibility stretches all the way from Maine to the
southern tip of Florida. Later, the Moon will cover the entire sun
producing a total eclipse over parts of the Atlantic Ocean and Africa.
Visit http://spaceweather.com for observing tips and more
information.

DON'T MISS THE NEXT SOLAR FLARE: Lately, solar activity has been high.
Would you like a call when solar flares are underway? X-flare alerts
are available from http://spaceweathertext.com (text) and
http://spaceweatherphone.com (voice).


--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and
also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland
Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)

The Solar Hybrid Eclipse November 3rd 2013

http://astro.ukho.gov.uk/eclipse/0512013/

http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/get-ready-hybrid-solar-eclipse-on-november-3?utm_source=EarthSky+News&utm_campaign=9fe788dd59-EarthSky_News&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c643945d79-9fe788dd59-393732205

http://earthsky.org/tonight/total-solar-eclipse-for-equatorial-africa-on-november-3?utm_source=EarthSky+News&utm_campaign=9fe788dd59-EarthSky_News&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c643945d79-9fe788dd59-393732205

http://earthsky.org/space/how-to-watch-the-november-3-total-solar-eclipse-online?utm_source=EarthSky+News&utm_campaign=9fe788dd59-EarthSky_News&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c643945d79-9fe788dd59-393732205


--
Good Clear Skies
--
Astrocomet
--
Colin James Watling
--
Various Voluntary work-Litter Picking for Parish Council (Daytime) and
also a friend of Kessingland Beach (Watchman)
--
Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/astrocomera
--
Lyra Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lyrasociety/
--
Real Astronomer and head of the Comet section for LYRA (Lowestoft and
Great Yarmouth Regional Astronomers) also head of K.A.G (Kessingland
Astronomy Group) and Navigator (Astrogator) of the Stars (Fieldwork)
--
Information