As Seen by Hubble Space Telescope

Last April the Hubble Space Telescope was used to get an image of Comet ISON (C/2012 S1) which is due to brighten up in our skies starting later this year. Right now the comet is just outside the orbit of Mars, will round the Sun on November 28th of this year, and then should be visible for some months as it heads back to the cold outer reaches of the solar system. Amateur and professional astronomers are guardedly excited about the prospects of seeing this comet brighten up. Its tail is activating as it gets closer to the Sun, so that’s a good sign.

In the meantime, the Space Telescope Science Institute posted this fantastic image of the comet, set against a backdrop of stars and galaxies. The closest galaxy in this image is 30 billion times farther away from the comet, giving you a tremendous sense of the sheer scale of the universe. Simply click click on the image at left and you’ll get an enlarged version where you can explore to your heart’s content. I found a couple of dozen galaxies just on a quick look and I’m sure there are more. There are spirals, ellipticals and what looks like some irregulars in there, so spend some time admiring the comet AND searching out the galaxies.

Hubble didn’t take this image in a single “snapshot”. Instead, a number of images were combined and processed to get this lovely scene. Want to know more about how ISON’s beauty shot was composed? Check out the Comet ISON blog for all the details.

Stay tuned over the next few months, too, to get more reports on how how this comet is shaping up. Let’s hope it gives us a good show!