The fact that ISON is blooming means it's getting very bright, probably around magnitude 0.5, about as bright as Mercury as seen from Earth. This is expected, and a good sign! It means gas is pouring off the solid nucleus of the comet and being
Comet ISON, imaged by longtime amateur astrophotograper Damian Peach in the U.K. He used a 4-inch f/5 telescope for 12 minutes of combined exposures on November 15th. Credit: Damian Peach / SkyandTelescope.com.
Comet ISON is streaking to its closest approach by the Sun today, where the itty-bitty nucleus, thought to be less than a mile across, may experience surface temperatures as high as 2800° C or about 5000° F! If ISON survives
Yesterday, comet Ison flew close to the Sun, and many sources reported its death. Now, though, some scientists are claiming that it, or at least some part of it, may have survived its journey.
Comet ISON reached perihelion at 18:25 UT (10:25 PT) on November 28. It's an event that's being watched around the world, accompanied by tons of commentary and streams of photos. We will update this blog entry
Comet ISON sweeps near sun, shows signs of life
