Comet #ISON: Will the Government Shutdown Ruin #NASA's Big Chance?

from policymic.com: On October 1, the comet ISON will pass near Mars, where monitoring equipment can gain more information on what could be the comet of the century. As long as the coincidental government shutdown causing the furlough of nearly the entire workforce of NASA doesn't interrupt these observations, that is.

Icarus Comet ISON Pix

Hubble Space Telescope captured images on April 10 of Comet ISON.  ISON, is classified, an Icarus or Sungrazing Comet because of its close distance at perihelion to the Sun.  On November 28th, ISON will be 700,000 miles from the Sun.  The April 10th image taken as ISON hurtled towards inner solar system just within orbit of Jupiter.  Universe Today article explains, "comets become more active as they near the inner solar system, where the Sun's heat evaporates their ices into jets of gases and dust. But even at this great distance ISON is already active, with a strong jet blasting dust particles off its nucleus. As these dust particles shimmer in reflected sunlight, a portion of the comet's tail becomes visible in the Hubble image."  Will Comet ISON live up to advanced billing as one of brightest comets ever?

ScienceCasts: Comet of the Century

NASA Science informa- tive four minute video, considers prospects for light show in November by Comet ISON as it nears Sun. "Astronomers are keeping a close eye on a newly-discovered Comet ISON, which could become visible in broad daylight later this year when it skims through the atmosphere of the sun," informs You Tube caption.  Dr Tony Phillips, narrator, suggests ISON may break up and appear as a "string of pearls" in the sky!

2013: Year Of The Great Comets

Stargazers looking ahead, may experience, year of the great comets in 2013.  Two Russian Astronomers Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichono discovered Comet Ison on September 21, 2011. Writer David Whitehouse previews more recently what sky watchers can expect in "'Brighter than a full moon': The biggest star of 2013... could be Ison - the comet of the century":

"By the end of summer it [Comet Ison] will become visible in small telescopes and binoculars. By October it will pass close to Mars and things will begin to stir. The surface will shift as the ice responds to the thermal shock, cracks will appear in the crust, tiny puffs of gas will rise from it as it is warmed. The comet's tail is forming...By late November it will be visible to the unaided eye just after dark in the same direction as the setting Sun. Its tail could stretch like a searchlight into the sky above the horizon. Then it will swing rapidly around the Sun, passing within two million miles of it, far closer than any planet ever does, to emerge visible in the evening sky heading northward towards the pole star. It could be an "unaided eye" object for months...."

Comet Ison may be visible to the unaided eye for months - an impressive prospect!  Perhaps, more remarkable, two comets may be plainly visible in night skies of 2013 as Whitehouse explains:

"Remarkably Ison might not be the only spectacular comet visible next year. Another comet, called 2014 L4 (PanSTARRS), was discovered last year and in March and April it could also be a magnificent object in the evening sky. 2013 could be the year of the great comets"

The present writer grew up on tales of the 1910 Halley's Comet, but it's return in 1986 proved a disappointment.  Halley's Comet wasn't  large or bright on its last pass only a speck in the night sky.  Hale-Bopp, the Great Comet of 1997 proved highly satisfying, remaining visible for over a year!  Comet Ison will hopefully live up to its advanced billing and exceed Hale-Bopp!  Heavenly bodies are earthbound!