CNN: NASA’s Comet ISON Observing Campaign website says the comet is “brightening dramatically” ahead of its close encounter with the sun on Thursday.
The glare of the sun has blocked most ground-based observations for now, but NASA has a fleet of spacecraft watching as ISON plunges toward the sun. Two space telescopes recorded images of the comet after it started acting like it was falling apart. NASA’s STEREO satellite and later the ESA/NASA SOHO spacecraft both spotted ISON.The images indicate that ISON is on course and “is seen to brighten … a reasonably bright tail might develop as the comet reappears,” said Padma Yanamandra-Fisher with observing campaign.