Monday 7 October 2013

Science and Tech

Dazzling comet ISON ‘may be dying’

One of the brightest comets of the century may actually be disintegrating. Astronomer Ignacio Ferrin, from FACom, Universidad de Antioquia after analysis, has identified clear signatures of its “impending demise”. “The light curve of the comet exhibited a slowdown event characterised by a constant brightness with no indication of a brightness increase tendency,” Mr. Ferrin said, adding that it began in January this year and continued up to the latest available observations at the end of September. The brightness remaining practically constant for nine months is a behaviour without any precedent in cometary Astronomy. These have led him to conclude that it is probably that the “comet is dying”. 

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