Comet ISON Approaching
Soon to be Observed with the Naked Eye
(October 9, 2013 data)
Comet ISON (C/2012 S1), as observed on 9th October 2013 by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). This comet was discovered on 21 September 2012 by the International Scientific Optical Network (ISON). Here, it is inside Mars' orbit, 285 million kilometres from Earth. It will pass close to the Sun in November 2013, increasing greatly in brightness. (Photo by Science Photo Library/AFLO)