Russian
astronomers recently spotted comet 2012 S1 (ISON) 90 million kilometres from
the Earth, according to a report by National Geographic.
It
is currently a faint glow streaking between Saturn and Jupiter, but as the
Sun's gravity draws the comet closer, dust and ice will be blasted off, it
giving it a highly-reflective tail.
Depending
on how big the tails gets, the three-kilometre wide comet may become more visible
for a few months in late 2013 and early 2014.
"If
it lives up to expectations, this comet may be one of the brightest in
history," Raminder Singh Samra of the H R MacMillan Space Centre in Canada
told National Geographic.
The
comet already seems to be following the path of the Great Comet of 1690, which
was one of the most stunning ever seen from Earth.
It
should also pass about 10 million kilometres from Mars, possibly providing
Nasa's new Curiosity rover with a spectacular view.
But
Mr Samra warned scientists should be cautious about predicting the brightness
of comets, as they have failed to live up to expectations in the past.
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