Comet ISON update for November 18, 2013

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Updated Nov 21, 2013
Check out this photo of Comet ISON from the Canary Islands.

And not to be outdone, but here is Gerald Rhemann’s best image yet of Comet ISON.

You can follow on Twitter @cometisonnews for the latest images and news.

Updated Nov 20, 2013
Vitali Nevksy, one of ISON’s discoverers made this observation report tonight:

Comet significantly increased activity,
vis. mag. approximately 3.7!

Updated Nov 19, 2013
ISON is undergoing new activity in a potential second outburst as its first outburst faded out.

Original info
Comet ISON is visible to the naked eye, but it is become more difficult to spot because of twilight and the moon. It is currently located in the constellation Virgo in the SE early morning sky around and after 4:45 a.m. local time up until sunrise. The last update was on November 14, 2013. Here are the latest and best images (over 30+) of Comet ISON from the past couple of days. It might take a while to load the pics, but it’s worth the wait.

November 18 – Comet ISON near Spica in the constellation Virgo

November 17

November 16

November 15

Here are a couple of news articles about Comet ISON from the past couple of days.

The 3- to 4-mile-diameter chunk of ice and rock has spent more than 4 billion years in the frozen depths of space, and on Thanksgiving, it will get so close to the sun that it will reach 5,000 degrees — hot enough to melt iron, said Seth Jarvis, director of Clark Planetarium.

In fact, it will get so close to the sun that it will be subject to the powerful tidal forces emitted by the star, and the comet’s nucleus could be torn apart.
ISON began brightening significantly late last week, and if that trend continues, it could make for a sight visible with the naked eye in the low east-southeast horizon in the pre-dawn sky and could last through mid-January. If the comet is torn apart, though, a best-case scenario would be a bright flash visible to Earth, and then nothing more.
— Salt Lake Tribune, 11/18/2013 article by Sheena McFarland

Comet ISON has now become potentially visible to the naked eye. It makes an appearance an hour or two before sunrise in eastern skies, just above the bright star Spica in Virgo. This online finder chart from Sky & Telescope helps you locate ISON, as well as Comet Lovejoy and the planet Mercury.

We should emphasize the word “potentially,” because each day brings ISON closer to getting lost in the glare of the dawning sun and the setting full moon. You’ll need clear, dark skies and lots of patience to convince yourself that you’ve seen the comet’s fuzzy glow.
— NBC News, 11/14/2013 article by Alan Boyle

The comet is supposed to come within less than a million miles of the sun, boomerang around it and zip back in the direction whence it came, so there is a chance it could put on quite a show.

The problem is, it’s going to be relatively low on the eastern horizon before dawn, and it’s fairly dim, so viewing it in a metropolitan area with all of its light pollution will be difficult.
— Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, 11/14/2013 article by Frank Gray

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