16 Jul 2013 - A Timeline Of Comet ISON's Dangerous Journey

[NASA]

http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/images/miss-soho-mp.jpg (http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=44309)16 Jul 2013 - A Timeline Of Comet ISON's Dangerous Journey
A comet's journey through the solar system is perilous and violent. Comet ISON is making that journey.


More... (http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=44309)

[Lifebringer]

This link tells the width 3,100 miles across and a tail 57,000 miles long during the April-June viewing.

http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=44309

Also tells the Nasa Response plans for this year, and the "1st launching of a balloon"? to observe above the atmosphere. I couls have sworn they said they were testing balloons during the Roswell?

[DeDukshyn]

Woot! Double the motivation to have my new telescope by December!

Looking at one of these two ... decisions, decisions ... ;)

http://www.canadiantelescopes.com/Shop-By-Type/Beginner-Telescopes/Orion-SkyQuest-XT6-Classic-Dobsonian-Telescope_2.html#.UeXf-202uSo

http://www.canadiantelescopes.com/Shop-By-Type/Beginner-Telescopes/Celestron-AstroMaster-130EQ-MD-Newtonian-Reflector.html#.UeXgKG02uSo

BTW this site has the best prices I think I have seen on scopes ... free shipping in Canada!

[ghostrider]

looking at the orbital path, it looks all wrong to see a comet come toward the sun, make a left and breakway on basically the same curved angle in came in on ... meaning I think it's a spaceship - not a comet at all ...wouldn't the sun's gravity pull this comet right into it ??? How could it maintain its course and it's own gravity , that being equal to the sun's strength but nowhere near the suns size ??? I thought the bigger the planetary body the bigger the gravity ...

[pine boy]

Woot! Double the motivation to have my new telescope by December!

Looking at one of these two ... decisions, decisions ... ;)

http://www.canadiantelescopes.com/Shop-By-Type/Beginner-Telescopes/Orion-SkyQuest-XT6-Classic-Dobsonian-Telescope_2.html#.UeXf-202uSo

http://www.canadiantelescopes.com/Shop-By-Type/Beginner-Telescopes/Celestron-AstroMaster-130EQ-MD-Newtonian-Reflector.html#.UeXgKG02uSo

BTW this site has the best prices I think I have seen on scopes ... free shipping in Canada!

Hey,I own an xt 8.I highly recommend.If I had t do it over I would spring for the xt 10.
My suggestion to you is to rapidly get the best dob you can afford because there is a huge sky to learn about.I wouldn't get the reflector scope...once you use the dob you will understand why.Do yourself a favor and get the largest one possible.You will be glad you did.

[DeDukshyn]

Woot! Double the motivation to have my new telescope by December!

Looking at one of these two ... decisions, decisions ... ;)

http://www.canadiantelescopes.com/Shop-By-Type/Beginner-Telescopes/Orion-SkyQuest-XT6-Classic-Dobsonian-Telescope_2.html#.UeXf-202uSo

http://www.canadiantelescopes.com/Shop-By-Type/Beginner-Telescopes/Celestron-AstroMaster-130EQ-MD-Newtonian-Reflector.html#.UeXgKG02uSo

BTW this site has the best prices I think I have seen on scopes ... free shipping in Canada!

Hey,I own an xt 8.I highly recommend.If I had t do it over I would spring for the xt 10.
My suggestion to you is to rapidly get the best dob you can afford because there is a huge sky to learn about.I wouldn't get the reflector scope...once you use the dob you will understand why.Do yourself a favor and get the largest one possible.You will be glad you did.

Super thanks for the input. I feel similar already. The reason the reflector is in there is because of the motor drive (along with eq mpount) and thus astrophotography capabilities. A dob is not as suited to astrophotography ... ultimately I would have one of each perhaps ... ?

And thanks for the praise on the 8 (http://www.canadiantelescopes.com/Shop-By-Type/Dobsonians_2/Orion-SkyQuest-XT8-Classic-Dobsonian-Telescope_2.html#.UeYLFm02uSo), it's not too much more than the 6 ... ;)

[Another1]

...wouldn't the sun's gravity pull this comet right into it ??? How could it maintain its course and it's own gravity , that being equal to the sun's strength but nowhere near the suns size ??? I thought the bigger the planetary body the bigger the gravity ...


The speed of the object comes into play here ... it's being pulled down by gravity yes, but it is a large mass moving at very high speed which is a different animal than something that just gets tossed out a window

[pine boy]

I found this you tube vid from back in April.I didn't watch the entire vid but at about 21 minutes in there's a cool photo of space with ISON foreground.I hope someone finds it interesting.

xMagVxn3ILo

[Richard S.]

Woot! Double the motivation to have my new telescope by December!

Looking at one of these two ... decisions, decisions ... ;)

http://www.canadiantelescopes.com/Shop-By-Type/Beginner-Telescopes/Orion-SkyQuest-XT6-Classic-Dobsonian-Telescope_2.html#.UeXf-202uSo

http://www.canadiantelescopes.com/Shop-By-Type/Beginner-Telescopes/Celestron-AstroMaster-130EQ-MD-Newtonian-Reflector.html#.UeXgKG02uSo

BTW this site has the best prices I think I have seen on scopes ... free shipping in Canada!

Hey,I own an xt 8.I highly recommend.If I had t do it over I would spring for the xt 10.
My suggestion to you is to rapidly get the best dob you can afford because there is a huge sky to learn about.I wouldn't get the reflector scope...once you use the dob you will understand why.Do yourself a favor and get the largest one possible.You will be glad you did.

Super thanks for the input. I feel similar already. The reason the reflector is in there is because of the motor drive (along with eq mpount) and thus astrophotography capabilities. A dob is not as suited to astrophotography ... ultimately I would have one of each perhaps ... ?

And thanks for the praise on the 8 (http://www.canadiantelescopes.com/Shop-By-Type/Dobsonians_2/Orion-SkyQuest-XT8-Classic-Dobsonian-Telescope_2.html#.UeYLFm02uSo), it's not too much more than the 6 ... ;)

I have a Celestron XLT11 myself, great piece. As Pine Boy suggested, get the biggest one you can. However, I would recommend you save some cash for decent eyepieces, get yourself something like a 5mm. A barlow always helps also, I have a 3X, it's great for planets...

[DeDukshyn]

Woot! Double the motivation to have my new telescope by December!

Looking at one of these two ... decisions, decisions ... ;)

http://www.canadiantelescopes.com/Shop-By-Type/Beginner-Telescopes/Orion-SkyQuest-XT6-Classic-Dobsonian-Telescope_2.html#.UeXf-202uSo

http://www.canadiantelescopes.com/Shop-By-Type/Beginner-Telescopes/Celestron-AstroMaster-130EQ-MD-Newtonian-Reflector.html#.UeXgKG02uSo

BTW this site has the best prices I think I have seen on scopes ... free shipping in Canada!

Hey,I own an xt 8.I highly recommend.If I had t do it over I would spring for the xt 10.
My suggestion to you is to rapidly get the best dob you can afford because there is a huge sky to learn about.I wouldn't get the reflector scope...once you use the dob you will understand why.Do yourself a favor and get the largest one possible.You will be glad you did.

Super thanks for the input. I feel similar already. The reason the reflector is in there is because of the motor drive (along with eq mpount) and thus astrophotography capabilities. A dob is not as suited to astrophotography ... ultimately I would have one of each perhaps ... ?

And thanks for the praise on the 8 (http://www.canadiantelescopes.com/Shop-By-Type/Dobsonians_2/Orion-SkyQuest-XT8-Classic-Dobsonian-Telescope_2.html#.UeYLFm02uSo), it's not too much more than the 6 ... ;)

I have a Celestron XLT11 myself, great piece. As Pine Boy suggested, get the biggest one you can. However, I would recommend you save some cash for decent eyepieces, get yourself something like a 5mm. A barlow always helps also, I have a 3X, it's great for planets...

That is a damn sweet scope! I don't have those kind of funds right now, maybe when some of the kids leave ;). I am slightly torn between getting a decent sized dob and something suitable for astrophotography with a motor drive mount - unfortunately those are expensive so the scopes on these in my budget are usually ~5 or 6 inch max -- with a dob I can go bigger for the price.

However I think I'll get the dob - as big as my budget will allow, and stick with moons and maybe some closer planets for getting in any imaging, then save up for something more appropriate for deep sky photography, and keep the dob for general viewing, or pass it along to my son if I can get a good enough scope the second time around.

And yes, I am saving for some higher end lenses as well. I do have an ancient Jason Comet Chaser that I received as a Christmas gift when I was 14 :), but it's only a 3.5 or 4 incher and I can't figure out how to collimate it (seems like it can't be done but that can't be right either) - and it needs it pretty bad.

http://www.astromart.com/images/classifieds/710000-710999/710262-1.jpg

[marlowe]

Did Comet Biela cause the great Chicago fire of 1871.....
There were several strange fire events on Oct.8,1871....Hot balls of gas from the sky killed dozens of people in north central USA...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mrIaeKlHG4#at=136