Dazzling 'comet of the century' is still intact! Icy ball 15 times brighter than the moon might be visible in December - IF it survives



There were fears that Comet ISON, which promised to be visible from Earth in broad daylight later this year, had fizzled out

But an image from the Hubble Telescope has confirmed the nucleus of the comet is intact and the icy body is on course



Astronomers are optimistic the comet will survive its transit 730,000 miles from the sun, as its nucleus is estimated to measure up to 1.2 miles across



There were fears that an eagerly anticipated comet thought to be 15 times brighter than the moon had broken up, leaving skywatchers who had hoped to spot it from Earth disappointed.

But a new Hubble Telescope photo has confirmed that the fragile icy ball appears to be intact and is on track to visit our inner solar system from November to January.

It is hoped that Comet ISON, which is making a precarious path around the sun, will put on a spectacular show for people who live in the Northern hemisphere.

A colour composite image of Comet ISON confirms the eagerly-anticipated icy ball's nucleus is still intact. It was taken by Nasa's Hubble Telescope on October 9 when the comet was inside Mars' orbit and about 177 million miles from Earth. The comet's coma appears a greenish-blue colour due to gas. The tail forms as dust particles are pushed away from the nucleus by the pressure of sunlight

The eagerly anticipated comet could be 15 times brighter than the moon, with a massive tail, making it visible even in broad daylight.



A new image of the sun-bound Comet shows that it is still in one piece, despite fears from experts that its icy nucleus might disintegrate as the sun warms it.

Some astronomers had predicted that Comet ISON could break apart before November 28 when it is predicted to travel just 730,000 miles from the surface of the sun.

In July, experts had claimed that ISON was fizzling out and astronomer Ignacio Ferrin, of the University of Antioquia in Colombia, said: 'The future of comet ISON does not look bright,

But Nasa's Hubble Space Telescope has taken the image that will make sky watchers hopeful for a sighting of a lifetime, as ISON has been decribed as the 'comet of the century'.



In July, the ISON was pictured on the opposite side of the Sun at around 378 million miles away from Earth, travelling at over 50,000 miles per hour

While the image, taken on October 9, cannot pick out the comet's solid nucleus, astronomers said the telescope would most likely have discovered evidence of fragments if the comet had disintegrated.

Experts from the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, which operates the telescope, also said the 'head' surrounding the nucleus is 'symmetric and smooth'.

'This would probably not be the case if clusters of smaller fragments were flying along . What's more, a polar jet of dust first seen in Hubble images taken in April is no longer visible and may have turned off,' they wrote in a statement.

The most recent image from the Hubble Telescope was taken within the orbit of Mars, around 177 million miles from Earth, they said.



The comet will pass closest to the sun on November 28 and is predicted to make its closest approach to Earth on December 26 at a distance of 39.9 million miles.

There is still a chance the comet will not survive its journey close to the sun, but if it does, Astronomers could learn a lot about the comet's composition by observing which gases boil off it as it nears the sun.

It could reach temperatures of about 4,900 degrees Fahrenheit (2,700 degrees Celsius) which is hot enough to melt lead and runs the risk of being pulled apart by the sun's gravity.



Comet ISON is roughly heading towards the centre of our Solar System. It will pass within one million miles of the Sun's surface on 28th November. At the time of discovery in September 2012, ISON was over 584 million miles from the Sun

Some scientists are optimistic the comet will survive as its nucleus is estimated to be up to 1.2 miles across and therefore big enough to weather the sun's heat.

Other researchers are also hopeful that we will be able to see the comet from Earth if it has standard density and spin charcteristics.



According to NBC News , sky watchers have organised a global ISON observation campaign so that a number of Earth-based telescopes can keep an eye on the comet's progress.

Images of Comet ISON obtained using the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph at Gemini North on February 4, March 4, April 3, and May 4, 2013 (left to right, respectively)

If comet ISON survives the encounter, it could take thousands - potentially millions - of years before the comet passes back through the inner solar system.

The comet, named ISON after the International Scientific Optical Network that made its discovery, was found in September 2012 by two amateur Russian astronomers.

Scientists believe the comet hails from the Oort Cloud, a cluster of icy rocks that circle the sun about 50,000 times farther away than Earth's orbit.