National Geographic - Andrew Fazekas, 9/27/12
Next year comet 2012 S1 might outshine the moon.
Sky-watchers in Australia ogle comet Lovejoy late last year.
Photograph by John Goldsmith, TWAN
If astronomers' early predictions hold true, the holidays next year may hold a glowing gift for stargazers—a superbright comet, just discovered streaking near Saturn.
Even with powerful telescopes, comet 2012 S1 (ISON) is now just a faint glow in the constellation Cancer. But the ball of ice and rocks might become visible to the naked eye for a few months in late 2013 and early 2014—perhaps outshining the moon, astronomers say.
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