Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) is a large sungrazing comet discovered on 21 September 2012 by astronomers in Russia. On 28 November 2013, this comet will pass through perihelion at a distance less than 2 solar radii from the Sun's surface. A favorable observing geometry from Earth offers a chance to study this dynamically new comet from the Oort Cloud both before and after it makes its close approach to the Sun.
Due to the unique opportunity Comet ISON provides for cometary research, the NASA IRTF has allocated a block of guaranteed observing time for Comet ISON during the 2013B semester (Aug. 2013 - Jan. 2014). A requirement of this observing campaign is that the raw data obtained with IRTF instruments will be archived, and made available to the public within 1 to 2 days after the data are taken through this website. For instructions on how to download data from this archive, please Click Here.
Six observing programs make up the Comet ISON campaign at the IRTF:
Program 2013B016 - PI: Terry Jones, University of Minnesota
"Imaging Polarimetry of C/2012 S1 ISON"
Instrument: NSFCam2 + Polarimeter
Program 2013B021 - PI: Michael Sitko, Space Science Institute
"IRTF Comet ISON Campaign: Thermal and Scattering Properties of the Dust Grains of Comet ISON"
Instruments: SpeX, BASS
Program 2013B039 - PI: Neil Dello Russo, JHU Applied Physics Laboratory
"The Chemical Composition and Evolution of C/2012 S1 ISON as it approaches and passes the Sun"
Instrument: CSHELL
Program 2013B044 - PI: Michael DiSanti, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
"The Volatile Oxidized Carbon in Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) and a Search for Isotopic Carbon Monoxide [13CO]"
Instrument: CSHELL
Program 2013B049 - PI: Boncho Bonev, CUA/NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
"Deuterium in Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON)"
Instrument: CSHELL
Program 2013B087 - PI: Ron Vervack, JHU Applied Physics Laboratory
"SpeX Observations of the Gas Emission and Dust Continuum of Comet C/2012 S1 [ISON]"
Instrument: SpeX
The first observations associated with the IRTF Comet ISON Campaign are scheduled to begin on October 17, 2013, and run until January 26, 2014. A detailed schedule of the observations is shown below:
Date Time (HST) Program PI Instrument(s) Comments
10/17 0300-0600 2013B087 Vervack SpeX Bigdog spectra (Prism, LXD)
10/18 0500-0630 2013B021 Sitko SpeX Bigdog spectra (SXD)
10/19 0330-0630 2013B021 Sitko SpeX Bigdog spectra (Prism, LXD), Guidedog images
10/20 0330-0630 2013B021 Sitko SpeX No Observations
10/21 0330-0630 2013B021 Sitko SpeX Bigdog spectra (SXD, LXD)
10/28 0330-0630 2013B087 Vervack SpeX Bigdog spectra (Prism, LXD)
Date Time (HST) Program PI Instrument(s) Comments
11/05 0330-0630 2013B087 Vervack SpeX Bigdog spectra (Prism, LXD)
11/06 0300-0600 2013B016 Jones NSFCAM NSFCAM2 polarimetry
11/07 0300-0600 2013B016 Jones NSFCAM NSFCAM2 polarimetry
11/08 0300-0600 2013B016 Jones NSFCAM NSFCAM2 polarimetry
11/09 0300-0600 2013B016 Jones NSFCAM No Observations
11/10 0500-1100 2013B044 DiSanti CSHELL CSHELL spectra
11/11 0400-0900 2013B021 Sitko SpeX/BASS Reduced BASS data available at a later date
11/12 0400-0900 2013B021 Sitko SpeX/BASS Reduced BASS data available at a later date
11/13 0400-0900 2013B021 Sitko SpeX/BASS Reduced BASS data available at a later date
11/14 0500-1300 2013B039 Dello Russo CSHELL No Observations
11/15 0600-1300 2013B044 DiSanti CSHELL CSHELL spectra
11/16 0500-1300 2013B044 DiSanti CSHELL CSHELL spectra
11/17 0500-1430 2013B049 Bonev CSHELL CSHELL spectra
11/18 0500-1430 2013B049 Bonev CSHELL CSHELL spectra
11/19 0600-1400 2013B039 Dello Russo CSHELL CSHELL spectra
11/20 0600-1400 2013B039 Dello Russo CSHELL CSHELL spectra
11/21 0600-1400 2013B039 Dello Russo CSHELL No Observations
11/22 0600-1400 2013B044 DiSanti CSHELL CSHELL spectra
