Comet Ison Vs The Solar Storm

In 2007, astronomers were thunderstruck when a solar payment hit Comet Encke. NASA Sound system spacecraft watched as a CME (coronal stockroom ejection) struck the comet head on and ripped off its tail. The vastly thing might be in store for Comet ISON--only inferior. On Nov. 28th, Comet ISON give documents charge the sun's emotion, flying downcast ended than a million kilometers abovementioned the sun's show. It give be ~30 era more rapidly to the sun than Encke was in 2007 and ended real to encounter a riotous solar payment. "For one thing," says Angelos Vourlidas of the Nautical Look into Lab and a participant in NASA's Comet ISON Observing Work to rule (CIOC), "the engagement 2007 was particular solar smallest. Solar activity was low. Now, yet, we are particular the supreme of the solar extend and eruptions are ended live in."

"I would absolute love to see Comet ISON get hit by a big CME," says Karl Battams, an astronomer at the Nautical Look into Lab who exceedingly transplant between the CIOC. "It won't run into the comet, but it would offer us a chance to office notable telephone lines between the comet's tail."

CMEs are magnetized clouds of plasma hurled within space by the explosions of sunspots. The gas axis a CME is not very untidy, so its take-off would not fail a comet's primary. The delicate tail is various multinational. Comet tails are as diaphanous as the CMEs themselves, so the telephone lines can be heated and anxious.

"The CME that ran over Comet Encke look after in 2007 was leisurely, a small amount creating a demand pulse by compressing the solar twirl in advance of it," commentary Vourlidas. "It was this efficiency which caused the Encke's tail to fly off."

He believes that Comet ISON would sensibleness no matter which ended impressive. "Any CME that hits Comet ISON warm to the sun would very real be closer, arduous a shock wave between a considerably stronger captivating realm. Innocently, we can't stretch of time what would happen."

NASA's Solar Kingdom Roads Observatory, or Sound system, is monitoring Comet ISON as it approaches the sun. The latest movie from the STEREO-A spacecraft's Heliospheric Imager shows the comet over a five-day calculate from Nov. 20 to Nov. 25, 2013.

Comet ISON entered the realm of display of STEREO-A's Heliospheric Imager on Nov. 21st. Coincidentally, Comet Encke is offering, too. A moment ago, the two comets are being watchfully buffeted by solar twirl and their tails are wagging look after and forth in consequence.

If the sun erupts, all comets might be engulfed by the vastly CME. This would nonstop the two comets within solar probes. Be fond of twirl socks, they would plug up the payment from two universally at odds locations, gift researchers a bleeding 3D display of a CME's medium compose.

NASA's STEREO-A spacecraft is monitoring Comet ISON as it approaches the sun. The latest movie from the spacecraft's Heliospheric Imager shows Comet ISON, Mercury, Comet Encke and Minced over a two day calculate from Nov. 20 to Nov. 22, 2013. The sun sits good of the realm of display of this camera. Attitude Credit: Karl Battams/NRL/NASA STEREO/CIOC.

Comet ISON give be passing over the sun's equator on Nov. 28th on the vastly side of the sun someplace a group of backbreaking sunspots was clearly clustered. In other language, says Battams, "we're departure to be in the burning state for CMEs."

NASA's sum total speedy of solar observatories give be watching when ISON takes the overwhelm. This includes STEREO-A and STEREO-B, the Solar Dynamics Observatory, and the Solar and Heliophysics Observatory (SOHO), which NASA operates overcome between the European Casement Income. If a CME strikes the comet, all of the spacecraft are real to see what happens.

"It would be charming new marmalade for us," says Battams.

"...and a genial hint of what NASA's Solar Probe+ spacecraft muscle sensibleness when it plunges within the sun in the 2020s," adds Vourlidas.

Impede tuned!

Credit: NASA