More than Turkey, Football and Parades for Thanksgiving – Comet ISON and SpaceX Add To the Festivities

Yes, tomorrow is Thanksgiving and we all will be focused on our tummys and television, but be sure to add these to your to-do list:  NASA’s coverage of Comet ISON’s encounter with the Sun, and SpaceX’s second attempt to launch SES-8.

Whatever you do, DON’T look at the Sun to see Comet ISON as it passes a million miles from the Sun’s surface.  Very bad for your eyes.  Instead, watch NASA TV which will be airing a Google+ hangout where scientists with the proper equipment will be following the action.  That’s from 1:00 – 3:30 pm ET.  Nobody knows how much of ISON will remain after tomorrow, but if all or part of it survives, people in the Northern Hemisphere will be able to see it with the unaided eye probably next week.   If you can’t get your friends and family to watch NASA TV, but want to keep up to date, there are several Twitter accounts for ISON.   Our favorite is Emily Lakdawalla from the Planetary Society (@elakdawalla), but she may be busy with Thanksgiving herself.   You can also try Phil Plait @BadAstronomer, Comet ISON @CometISONnews, and NASA Goddard (@NASAGoddard).

Then, just a few hours later, SpaceX will try again to launch SES-8, its first launch to a geostationary transfer orbit.  This is really important for the future of the Falcon 9 rocket and SpaceX’s business case.  The launch window at Cape Canaveral. FL is open from 5:38 – 6:44 pm ET.   SpaceX will webcast the launch on its website beginning at 5:00 pm ET.  Follow @SpaceX or @ElonMusk for updates, too.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!