The University of Maryland at College Park (UMCP) and Lowell Observatory astronomers utilized NASA's Swift Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope (UVOT) to observe the 2013 Comet C/2012 S1 ISON's near-Earth approaching movement and composition. The Swift UVOT managed to capture an image of the comet which the space agency released to the public two days ago.

NASA's Swift Telescope provides preliminary information about Comet ISON which greatly helps in determining its brightness and path. In February, NASA requested the comet experts to assist in the Comet ISON Observing Campaign (CIOC) on both ground- and space-based facilities in gathering the most useful scientific data.

The 2013 Comet ISON is anticipated to become the "Comet of the Century" as it closely passes by the Sun with the possibility of becoming much brighter than the Full Moon during its peak. "Comet ISON has the potential to be among the brightest comets of the last 50 years which gives us a rare opportunity to observe its changes in great detail and over an extended period," Dennis Bodewits, the Lead Investigator and an astronomer at UMCP, stated.

Excited viewers have one important question in mind: Will Comet ISON become bright enough for an astounding appearance or will it grow fainter as the later part of the year approaches? "It looks promising but that's all we can say for sure now," declared Matthew Knight, a member of the Swift and CIOC teams and an astronomer at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona.

He further added: "Past comets have failed to live up to expectations once they reached the inner solar system, and only observations over the next few months will improve our knowledge of how ISON will perform." The 2013 Comet ISON observing opportunities begins on October 1 as the approaching comet passes by planet Mars at the distance of approximately 6.7 million miles (10.8 million km).

"During this close encounter, comet ISON may be observable to NASA and ESA spacecraft now working at Mars. Personally, I'm hoping we'll see a dramatic postcard image taken by NASA's latest Mars explorer, the Curiosity rover," UMCP astronomer, Swift and CIOC team member Michael Kelley revealed.

On November 28, Comet ISON will make its scorching passage close to the Sun at approximately 730,000 miles (1.2 million km) from its visible surface.

NASA Arizona