C/2012S1

[Buddhas Hand]

New comet will fly by in 2013! And it could be brighter than the Full Moon

witnessed by Elenin last year, a comet can break-up at any given time, particularly as it gets closer to the Sun.

Writing in Red Orbit, Lawrence Le Blond notes that C/2012 S1 is currently hanging out just beyond the orbit of Jupiter. "The comet is currently very faint, but as it approaches the Sun, it will steadily brighten," he writes, "It will be easily picked up by experienced amateur astronomers with CCD equipment in the coming months, and will be within binocular view by late summer 2013, and eventually by the naked eye in early November. Depending on brightness, the comet should remain visible to the naked eye from early November 2013 to mid-January 2014."

C/2012 S1 will not be the only comet to pay us a visit next year. Comet Pan-STARRS is expected to swing by in March 2013, though it's not expected to be as bright as the newly discovered object.

The comet was discovered on September 21 by Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok. The object will hit its perihelion (its closest approach to the Sun) on November 28, 2013 at a distance of 0.012 AU, or 1,800,000 miles. On October 1, 2013, the comet will swing by Mars, and then the Earth on December 26, 2013.

Experts predict it could become a rather spectacular sight in the night sky — but that's assuming it doesn't disintegrate before then. As witnessed by Elenin last year, a comet can break-up at any given time, particularly as it gets closer to the Sun.

[AbbyNucksFan]

2012 2013

[:D]

Guaranteed it'll be overcast for those three months.

Clouds know when cool things are happening in space.

[Jägermeister]

That could make for some really cool scenic nights.

I look forward to this.

[theminister]

How close is it expected to get? Will it come inside of the asteroid belt?

[NightHawkSniper]

Well this will make a great movie night!

[Buddhas Hand]

<p>

How close is it expected to get? Will it come inside of the asteroid belt?

[Pouria]

Guaranteed it'll be overcast for those three months.

Clouds know when cool things are happening in space.

[Hobble]

I hope I can manage to see this. I am never really on top of these types of things, but hope to catch this.

[theminister]

Thanks Ratiocinator. I was curious as to whether this was an Oort cloud comet or an interloper but it appears to be the former.

Have you seen anything that shows what it's angle to the plane is? Or where it makes the cross of the plane? From the graphic it looks like a normal comet that crosses from the region between Jupiter and Mars but it's hard to tell.

[Buddhas Hand]

Thanks Ratiocinator. I was curious as to whether this was an Oort cloud comet or an interloper but it appears to be the former.

Have you seen anything that shows what it's angle to the plane is? Or where it makes the cross of the plane? From the graphic it looks like a normal comet that crosses from the region between Jupiter and Mars but it's hard to tell.

[nucklehead]

Too bad none of us will live that long.

[DarthNinja]

Thanks Ratiocinator. I was curious as to whether this was an Oort cloud comet or an interloper but it appears to be the former.

Have you seen anything that shows what it's angle to the plane is? Or where it makes the cross of the plane? From the graphic it looks like a normal comet that crosses from the region between Jupiter and Mars but it's hard to tell.