'New' Comet ISON May Outshine the Moon

The comet was discovered by two amateur astronomers in September. Plus, ways Largo residents can explore the night skies.

Forget the Hunter's Moon in 2013? Local skywatchers may be in store for a spectacular Hunter's Comet — the newly discovered comet ISON. OK, it does not have the marquee name of Halley's Comet. But sky watchers and astronomers are seeing stars when they talk about ISON. A NASA astronomer says ISON's fiery tail may be visible to those watching the night sky from October 2013 through January 2014. And the comet may hover into view without the help of a telescope. It all depends on whether the sun's heat vaporizes ices in the comet's body, scientists say in an article posted in the Huffington Post. Comet ISON will fly within 1.2 million miles from the sun's center on Nov. 28, 2013, astronomer Donald Yeomans, head of NASA's Near Earth Object …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)