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Re: [Phys-L] [SPAM] Re: Comet ISON



Yes, you can see SOME comets in both the morning and evening. Remember, not all comets orbit along the same plane that the planets do.

Imagine a VERY long pole extends outward along the rotation axis of the sun - maybe about 10 sun diameters long. Place a flag on the pole on the end that comes out of the sun's north pole. You will be able to see that flag both in the morning and the evening because the long pole is perpendicular to the path that the sun travels through the sky.

Bob at PC

-----Original Message-----
From: Phys-l [mailto:phys-l-bounces@phys-l.org] On Behalf Of Bruce
Sherwood
Sent: Thursday, November 14, 2013 1:47 PM
To: Phys-L@Phys-L.org
Cc: njaapt@mail.aapt.org
Subject: Re: [Phys-L] [SPAM] Re: Comet ISON

The latest issue of Sky & Telescope has diagrams of the situation for ISON in
December, and the predictions are all about seeing things just before dawn,
but their last image is for Dec. 5. The earthsky.org site shows an evening
scene for Dec. 18, which might well be correct -- it would be after the comet
has gone around the Sun, if it makes it around the Sun. What is absolutely
certain is that you can't possibly see the comet both just before sunrise and
just after sunset, on the same day.

Bruce
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