Comet ISON heads for a holiday encounter with the sun
- 10 years ago
Comet ISON is expected to travel around the sun on Thanksgiving Day, but its survival is in question.
The comet is expected to pass just about 684,000 miles from the sun's surface. It will be traveling 234 miles per second and heat up to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit or 2,760 degrees Celsius.
Comet ISON is ten times bigger than the only comet that has survived its trip around the sun - Comet Lovejoy - so some scientists say the chances of its survival look good.
If Comet ISON survives, experts say there will be a bright show in the sky starting the 1st of December at dawn, slowly, visibly rising. It will be seen near the Big Dipper on December 17th.
If it doesn't survive, the comet's ice will vaporize as well as its metal and rock.
But NASA Scientist Dr. Michelle Thaller, said this could help scientists learn more about the solar system and the buildings blocks that formed the Earth billions of years ago.
(SOUNDBITE)(English) NASA SCIENTIST DR. MICHELLE T
The comet is expected to pass just about 684,000 miles from the sun's surface. It will be traveling 234 miles per second and heat up to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit or 2,760 degrees Celsius.
Comet ISON is ten times bigger than the only comet that has survived its trip around the sun - Comet Lovejoy - so some scientists say the chances of its survival look good.
If Comet ISON survives, experts say there will be a bright show in the sky starting the 1st of December at dawn, slowly, visibly rising. It will be seen near the Big Dipper on December 17th.
If it doesn't survive, the comet's ice will vaporize as well as its metal and rock.
But NASA Scientist Dr. Michelle Thaller, said this could help scientists learn more about the solar system and the buildings blocks that formed the Earth billions of years ago.
(SOUNDBITE)(English) NASA SCIENTIST DR. MICHELLE T