The Lucknow Sentinel, 2013-11-27, Page 7Wednesday, November 27, 2013 • Lucknow Sentinel 7
Stargazer snaps photos of comet ISON remotely
Steve Goetz
Kincardine News
Local astronomers will be watching the
early -morning eastern sky tomorrow to see
whether a once-in-a-lifetime comet will
survive its close encounter with the sun.
The stargrazer comet C/2013 Si - known
as ISON - will pass within 1.2 million kilo-
metres of the sun, a dangerously close dis-
tance less than the sun's diameter.
ISON could shatter under the gravita-
tional force of the sun or fry under the
intense heat.
If the comet survives, it will be visible
from Dec. 3 through most of the holidays,
offering a spectacular display as it moves
closer to earth on its way out of the solar
system.
Scientists hope to learn of the solar sys-
tem's beginnings by measuring the contents
of the comet's tail with a spectrometer. It is a
unique opportunity since the comet has
existed, almost entirely unchanged, for
around 4.6 billion years.
Members of the Bluewater Astronomical
Society, which operates an observatory in
Wiarton, have been getting up before 5 a.m.
to check for clear skies but have mostly
come up short.
"We are getting down to the wire," said
society vice-president John Hlynialuk,
speaking last week before ISON started its
final solar approach. "If it doesn't clear, we
will have to wait until December."
Further south, David Galbraith has been
tracking ISON's trajectory, using his assort-
ment of telescopes, binoculars and cameras
to capture images of the comet in the early -
morning sky.
Galbraith maintains the Pine River
Observatorywebsite, named in honour of
summers spent in Lurgan Beach since the
early -1960s.
He took a photo of ISON with his digital
camera from Burlington, Ont. on the morn-
ing of Nov 20. Using online software, he was
able to pinpoint the comet's location rela-
tive to other celestial bodies.
The comet appears in the photo as a star
competing with Mercury and Saturn for
brightest object in the eastern sky.
Galbraith has bypassed the inclement
whether by using a networked observatory
in the southwest United States, controlling a
research -grade telescope over the internet
to take a much -enlarged picture of ISON.
Despite the technological opportunities
of our internet age, the amateur astronomer
says there are great stargazing opportunities
using basic equipment - cameras and bin-
oculars - and our exceptional skies.
"Getting away from the lights of towns -
even smaller towns like Kincardine - makes
a big difference in what you can see at
night," said Galbraith. "The Lake Huron
shore is great for this at night, with wonder-
ful views of the western horizon."
"I also have set up a bigger telescope on
the outskirts of Ripley, where there's a nice,
accessible flat area at the parking lot of the
Bruce Botanical Food Gardens:'
For more information on ISON, visit:
www.nasa.gov
For local stargazing information, visit:
http://www.bluewaterastronomy.info/
please
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Photos Submitted by David Galbraith Pine River Observatory
ABOVE: David Galbraith's picture of Comet C/2012 S1 - know as ISON - taken using a remote-controlled
telescope at the Sierra Stars Observatory on Sept. 23, 2013. The image was made by a single 300 second
exposure. Galbraith says the comet's tail is by now much bigger but the remote observatories are closed at
the time it is currently visible in the early morning sky.
LEFT: David Galbraith's photo of the moon, taken from Lurgan Beach with a finve-inch telescope and a digital
camera body on August 16, 2013.
1211flk
off
The Royal Canadian Legion
Branch 309 would
like to thank the community for all
of its support during our
recent Poppy Campaign.
Branch 309 also would like to
thank all the people that
attended the Remembrance Day
Ceremony at the cenotaph
on November 11 despite
the inclement weather.
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