Of all the animals of prey, man is the only sociable one.
Every one of us preys upon his neighbour, and yet we herd together.
The Beggar's Opera: John Gay

Thursday 28 November 2013

Comet ISON

While the asteroid close approach register is offering thin pickings for the next few months, we are about to be treated to the spectacle of comet ISON's approach to the sun.

While I had this in draft, Julia sent a comment - thanks! - to the effect that the BBC are getting excited about it but, for dedicated footage, you can watch NASA's footage of the 'Thanksgiving Flyby' at space.com here from 6pm to 8.30pm tonight.

http://www.space.com/17933-nasa-television-webcasts-live-space-tv.html




4 comments:

  1. How on earth could we know the latest except to check in here?

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  2. A bright star in the heavens?

    Why, oh why, couldn't the celestial beings arrange this for three weeks time? ;)

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  3. JuliaM. Because God now works through committees.

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  4. JH - the internet may have brought many evils, but it has also given us the benefits of asteroid watch and space.com - the sort of communication Fred Hoyle and his contemporaries had to resort to fiction to describe.

    Julia, don't speak too soon; current estimates suggest the remaining comet will make its closest approach to Earth of the 26th, which is a pretty good near miss.

    Demetrius, 'twas ever thus, surely; how else do you explain the giant panda and the duck-billed platypus?

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