After Comet ISON's closest approach to the Sun on Thursday, November 28, scientists continue to observe to find out if the "Comet of the Century" survived its sun-grazing journey. The latest reports claim the comet has been showing signs of survival contradicting the initial reports that it fell apart.

According to the KOMO News report, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) sent out a message via Twitter that the 2013 Comet ISON was no more with a released video on Thursday afternoon from the space agency's telescopes showing the comet's end.

The European Space Agency (ESA) had declared on Twitter as well about Comet ISON's disintegration but now they are claiming that the comet "continues to surprise". Spaceweather.com agrees claiming that the solar telescopes have shown something appearing from the other side of the Sun even though it still appears to be fading.

A part of the blog that comet scientist Karl Battams of the Naval Research Laboratory and NASA's Comet ISON Observing Campaign (CIOC) posted reads: "After perihelion, a very faint smudge of dust appeared in the the LASCO C2 images along ISON's orbit. This surprised us a little, but we have seen puffs of dust from Sungrazer tails, so it didn't surprise us enormously and didn't change our diagnosis. We watched and waited for that dust trail to fade away."

The scientist further stated in the blog: "Except it didn't. Now, in the latest LASCO C3 images, we are seeing something beginning to gradually brighten up again. One could almost be forgiven for thinking that there's a comet in the images! There was great hope that had ISON survived mostly intact, it would have put on a spectacular nighttime show in the skies from mid December through the end of January."

Mr Battams currently believes that some chunk of Comet ISON's nucleus has survived from its closest approach to the Sun. "It's throwing off dust and (probably) gas, but we don't know how long it can sustain that," the scientist revealed during an interview with Amanda Barnett of CNN, according to the Red Orbit report.

More Articles to Read:

2013 Comet ISON: Intact 'Comet of the Century' Enters SOHO's Field of View, Watch Comet's Close Flyby to the Sun from SOHO Spacecraft Views - [READ]

2013 Comet ISON: Watch NASA STEREO-A Spacecraft's Captured Video on Comet ISON, 'Comet of the Century' Tails Shown in Hyper Suprime-Cam Photo - [READ]

2013 Comet ISON: NASA's MESSENGER Spacecraft Detect and Capture Images of Comet ISON and Encke - [READ]

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