Comet ISON Update: 2nd Death?

 Well my friends, it's not looking good for our dear Comet ISON. The last two days have been revealing as to what Ison's future is likely to be. As you already know, Ison made it's perihelion approach on Thanksgiving Day and was seemingly destroyed by the sun's relentless heat. But a few hours later, it was observed that something had made it through the solar gauntlet intact. 

It was unknown what exactly had made it through, and at this point we still don't know if it was a fragment of the nucleus or a pile of dust and rubble. But what was interesting is the fact that this remnant of Ison began to brighten up and act like a comet...at lest for a while. However, over the past 48 hours, this remnant began to dim and disperse. At this point, it has become rather ethereal in nature and much less bright that it had been. 

 So what's next? No one can say exactly. The remains of Ison is no longer in the field of view of the SOHO LASCO imagers, so it can no longer be tracked that way. Hopefully another observatory can try and catch it in the next few days. My gut feeling tells me it is probably over for Ison, although it wouldn't surprise me if Ison pulled some sort of trick out of it's sleeve. While it is entirely possible the remnant could make an interesting telescopic object if it doesn't disperse completely, I would not expect to see it with the naked eye. 

 My apologies to everyone who was expecting a fabulous naked eye object for December. I know it's very disappointing to have lost this gem of a comet. Some of you may have even bought telescopes to see Ison. We can't control the forces of nature, we have to observe and enjoy the wonders of the universe on it's terms. Ison may not have made it to greatness, but what it did do is give the gift of information. It's uniqueness will give science something to study for many years to come. This is Ison's legacy.

Image from NASA/SOHO:

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