In late 2013, expect to see a new light in the sky: the giant comet ISON, discovered last year by Russian astronomers Vitaly Nevsky and Artyom Novichonok. The comet will likely make an appearance later this year, good news for those who lack equipment but still enjoy observing changes to the night sky’s array. With a unique orbit, astronomers think ISON originated in the very distant Oort Cloud. A cluster of ice and frozen rocks that encircles the solar system, the Oort Cloud is almost a light-year from the Sun. This distance allowed ISON to avoid damage by the powerful solar wind, which streams from the corona of the Sun at nearly one million miles per hour. However, because the ISON comet did not plunge into the inner solar system, the surface of the comet is darkened due to encounters with galactic particles. While the solar wind carries particles from the Sun, which hit planets, comets, and other celestial bodies, galactic particles originate outside of the solar system. Just how bright the comet will become at that moment cannot yet be forecast reliably. In his 2013 Astronomical Calendar, Guy Ottewell writes: “Using what formulas we can for magnitude, we have it reaching -12.6, the brightness of the full moon!” Read more http://thespacereporter.com/2013/01...than-the-full-moon-according-to-new-analysis/
