[WHPI] Support for Comet C/2024 S1 (ATLAS) campaign, perihelion on Oct 28

[Whole Heliosphere and Planetary Interactions]

Hello WHPI community!

We are excited to announce the Comet C/2024 S1 (ATLAS) Campaign!

The sungrazing comet named C/2024 S1 (ATLAS) will arrive at its perihelion
on October 28, 2024 (~11:39 UT) at an altitude of ~0.7 R_Sun above the
northeast solar limb. This is an opportunity to have a nature-made “solar
probe” that is even closer to Parker Solar Probe (PSP). The science driver
of the campaign is two-fold: using such comets to probe the solar corona
(solar physics), and to explore cometary science enabled with such rare
opportunities.

For more information check:
-> this campaign page:
https://whpi.hao.ucar.edu/whpi_campaign-comet-c2024s1.php
-> the comet orbit seen from Earth:
http://sprg.ssl.berkeley.edu/~shilaire/Comets/20241028_ATLAS/20241013_elements/Earth.png
and other vantage points:
http://sprg.ssl.berkeley.edu/~shilaire/Comets/20241028_ATLAS/20241013_elements
-> the ephemeris/orbit info:
https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?sstr=C%2F2024%20S1
https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons/app.html#/

*Caveat:*
There's preliminary indication that the nucleus of this comet has broken up
in recent days, and the current estimate of the brightness at perihelion
puts it at about 3 magnitude fainter than Comet Lovejoy seen in 2011.
Keeping this in mind, we believe it's still our best interest to proceed in
planning/coordinating observations from multiple instruments, but leave the
door open to allow canceling the campaign should the situation warrant it
when we get close to the perihelion date, with more data coming to
constrain the orbit/brightness estimates.

We understand that this comes with a very short notice, but we are still
hoping to capture some fascinating observations from such rare visitors to
the near-Sun environment.

Please send us an email at whpi_help at hao.ucar.edu if you can support this
effort or if you have any questions.

Best,
Daniela on behalf of WHPI and the Comet S1 (ATLAS) campaign planning
consortium
-- 
Daniela Lacatus
High Altitude Observatory (HAO)
NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR)
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