Comet ISON: Potential 'Comet of the Century' News, Photos and Video

The much-anticipated Comet ISON will swing through the inner solar system in late 2013 as scientists watch. See the latest news, photos, videos and ways to observe Comet ISON as it swings by Earth and the sun.

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Could Comet ISON Still Become the 'Comet of the Century?

Hubble Photo of Comet ISON, Stars and Galaxies

September 30th, 2013

The future of a possible "comet of the century" is still uncertain. With just two months to go before Comet ISON skims less than three-quarters of a million miles above the sun's surface, the comet could brighten or fade away.

Comet ISON In Sight! Amateur Astronomers Spot Potential 'Comet of the Century'

Comet ISON by Efrain Morales Rivera

September 27th, 2013

The possible "comet of the century," Comet ISON could either become a shining visual treat or a fizzled out chunk of rock and ice when it makes its close pass of the sun, but which will it be?

Mars Spacecraft to Photograph Comet ISON's Red Planet Flyby Next Week

Comet ISON on Sept. 15, 2013

September 24th, 2013

A fleet of spacecraft is gearing up to track the potentially dazzling Comet ISON as it flies by Mars next week. The comet will fly by Mars at a range of 6.5 million miles between Sept. 29 and Oct. 2.

Giant NASA Balloon Mission to See Comet ISON Suffers Telescope Glitch

The Hubble Space Telescope captured this view of Comet ISON, C/2012 S1 (ISON), on May 8, 2013.

September 30th, 2013

An ambitious one-day mission to observe the potentially dazzling Comet ISON with a telescope dangling from a colossal NASA balloon this weekend has failed due to a mechanical glitch, NASA officials say. The mission, called the Balloon Rapid Response for I

Giant NASA Balloon Ready to Hunt Potentially Dazzling Comet ISON

Comet ISON Hubble space wallpaper

September 26th, 2013

A colossal NASA balloon is poised to carry a free-hanging gondola sky-high on a mission to take a gander at celestial grandeur: Comet ISON.

Comet ISON Now In Amateur Astronomers' Range | Video

Comet ISON Now In Amateur Astronomers' Range | Video

September 24th, 2013

As the comet approaches its date with the Sun (Nov. 28th, 2013), it brightness is growing in magnitude. This has opened the door to backyard astronomers with smaller telescopes to glimpse the possible 'Comet of the Century'.

NASA's Comet-Hunting Deep Impact Probe Is Dead In Space

An artist's conception illustrates a close-up look at NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft

September 20th, 2013

The space agency declared Deep Impact dead today (Sept. 20), six weeks after the last communication from the probe, which slammed an impactor into one comet and successfully flew by another icy wanderer during its long and productive life.

Potentially Dazzling Comet ISON: 8 Essential Facts

The Hubble Space Telescope captured this view of Comet ISON, C/2012 S1 (ISON), on May 8, 2013.

September 30th, 2013

Comet ISON could shine brightly in the night sky around the time of its close solar approach on Nov. 28. Here's the lowdown on ISON and its journey through the inner solar system, which scientists are already tracking with a variety of instruments.

Comet ISON: Incoming Sungrazer

Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON)

September 24th, 2013

Comet ISON, discovered by two amateur astronomers in Russia, will arrive in Earth's neighborhood in November 2013.

Comet ISON Has Apparent Fling With Asteroid Eros | Video

Comet ISON Has Apparent Fling With Asteroid Eros | Video

September 24th, 2013

Slooh.com's Canary Islands Observatory captured asteroid 433 Eros seeming to fly with Comet ISON on September 24th, 2013. This 2nd largest near-Earth asteroid – which has been visited by the NEAR probe – is traveling faster, along a different orbit.