Comet ISON: Much More Than a Memory

Maybe it wasn’t “the comet of the century,” but ISON has left a scientific legacy that is beyond compare. That’s according to Karl Battams of NASA’s Comet ISON Observing Campaign on this week’s show. Bill Nye’s video letter to President Obama has gone viral!  He talks with Mat about it. Bruce Betts looks back to Apollo 17 in this week’s What’s Up, which sees the return of the Year in Space wall calendar as the space trivia contest prize.

Related Links

• Bill Nye's Open Letter to the President
• Karl Battams: Schrodinger's Comet
• Karl Battams: In Memoriam (Comet ISON)
• NASA Comet ISON Observing Campaign
• Comet ISON Blog Archive
• 2014 Year in Space Wall Calendar

Trivia Contest

This week's prize is the 2014 Year In Space Wall Calendar!

This week's question:
What mass of lunar regolith did Apollo 17 return to Earth?

To submit your answer:
Complete the contest entry form at http:planetary.org/radiocontest or write to us at [email protected] no later than Monday, December 16, at 2pm Pacific Time.  Be sure to include your name, mailing address and shirt size.

Last week's question:
What does ISON, as in Comet ISON, stand for?

Answer:
The answer will be revealed next week.

Question from the week before:
Approximately how far from Earth is the Orion Nebula?

Answer:
About 1,344 lightyears, give or take.