Sky and Telescope - April 2013 - (Page 6) Robert Naeye Spectrum Founded in 1941 by Charles A. Federer, Jr. and Helen Spence Federer The Essential Guide to Astronomy Comet of the Century? Hed.GillSans.30 Every so often, my S&T editorial colleagues and I hear about the discovery of a potentially great comet. But the operative word here is “potentially.” Just because a comet has a large nucleus and a favorable track with respect to the Earth and Sun doesn’t mean it will bloom into a showstopper. Since Comet ISON’s (C/2012 S1) discovery in September 2012, many media outlets have been touting it as a “Comet of the Century,” or they have used hyperbolic language such as “Super Comet” to give their audiences the impression that ISON will be a sure-fire spectacle in late 2013. With our decades of experience covering such matters, we know better at S&T. A number of factors determine how bright a comet will appear in the night sky, and some previously hyped comets turned out to be duds. The article by Dean Regas on Comet Kohoutek (page 32) describes the quintessential example of an overhyped comet. I still remember from my childhood getting excited about Kohoutek from the intense media coverage it received, and then going out at night to look for it and not seeing anything. I worry the same thing might happen with Comet ISON; if the media cries wolf too often, the public might ignore our exhortations when a future comet is actually putting on a spectacular display. Comet ISON As UCLA comet expert David January 10, 2013 Jewitt explains, “We don’t understand all the physics behind the brightness of a comet. Comet ISON could break up. It could run out of supervolatiles before it comes in close. Anything could happen, and Kohoutek is a good example.” I remain cautiously optimistic that Comet ISON will put on a glorious display. We’ll continue to DEAN SALMAN monitor it closely at S&T and will keep you informed in the magazine and on our website. But we’re not going to promise something that nature won’t necessarily deliver. Before closing, I wanted to remind you of our great Kenya eclipse trip coming up this November (skypub.com/KenyaEclipse), which will be hosted by senior contributing editor Kelly Beatty. Also, if you’re new to astrophotography or want to enhance your processing skills, check out the new webinars from S&T imaging editor Sean Walker at www.skyandtelescope.tv. Editor in Chief 6 April 2013 sky & telescope EDITORIAL Editor in Chief Robert Naeye Senior Editors Dennis di Cicco, Alan M. MacRobert Associate Editor Tony Flanders Imaging Editor Sean Walker Assistant Editor Camille M. Carlisle Web Editor Monica Young Editor Emeritus Richard Tresch Fienberg Senior Contributing Editors J. Kelly Beatty, Roger W. Sinnott Contributing Editors Jim Bell, Trudy Bell, Greg Bryant, Paul Deans, Thomas A. Dobbins, David W. Dunham, Alan Dyer, Ted Forte, Sue French, Steve Gottlieb, David Grinspoon, Paul J. 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The following are registered trademarks of Sky & Telescope Media, LLC: Sky & Telescope and logo, Sky and Telescope, The Essential Magazine of Astronomy, Skyline, Sky Publications, SkyandTelescope.com, http://www.skypub.com/, SkyWatch, Scanning the Skies, Night Sky, SkyWeek, and ESSCO. http://www.SkyandTelescope.com http://www.SkyandTelescope.com http://www.SkyandTelescope.com/advertising http://www.skypub.com/KenyaEclipse http://www.skyandtelescope.tv http://www.copyright.com http://www.SkyandTelescope.com http://www.skypub.com/ Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sky and Telescope - April 2013 Sky and Telescope - April 2013 Table of Contents Spectrum Letters 75, 50 & 25 Years Ago News Notes Cosmic Relief Exploring Caves on Other Worlds Liquid Astronomy Remembering Comet Kohoutek The Future of Amateur Science New Product Showcase In This Section April’s Sky at a Glance Binocular Highlight Planetary Almanac Northern Hemisphere’s Sky Sun, Moon & Planets Celestial Calendar Exploring the Moon Deep-Sky Wonders S&T Test Report Telescope Workshop Top 10 Neglected Deep-Sky Wonders Imaging the Messier Marathon Gallery Focal Point Sky and Telescope - April 2013 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/newtrack/st_201811 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/newtrack/st_201810 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/newtrack/st_201809 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/newtrack/st_201808 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/newtrack/st_201807 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/newtrack/st_201806 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/newtrack/st_201805 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/newtrack/st_201804 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/newtrack/st_201803 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/newtrack/st_201802 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/newtrack/st_201801 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/newtrack/st_201712 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/newtrack/st_201711 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/newtrack/st_201710 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/newtrack/st_201709 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/newtrack/st_201708 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