Comet ISON To Pass Through Solar Atmosphere On November 28, 2013

Comet ISON, dubbed as the "comet of the century," is expected to pass through the sun's atmosphere on Thursday, November 28, 2013.

Comet ISON (Wikimedia Commons)

Astronomers say Comet ISON will be flying a little more than a million kilometers above the sun's surface.

Because Comet ISON has never passed through the inner solar system before, experts are not sure what will happen next.

If Comet ISON survives after it passes the solar atmosphere, it could emerge glowing as brightly as the Moon, with its dusty tail stretching into the night sky that could create a worldwide sensation.

The other two scenarios are either Comet ISON will spontaneously disintegrate or it will be destroyed by sun's heat, according to NASA.

"Regardless of what happens, we're going to be thrilled," Lowell Observatory astronomer Matthew Knight said. "Astronomers are getting the chance to study a unique comet traveling straight from 4.5 billion years of deep freeze into a near miss with the solar furnace using the largest array of telescopes in history."

“Hang on,” he said, “because this ride is just getting started.”

Comet ISON was discovered on September 21, 2012 by the International Scientific Optical Network (ISON) in Russia when astronomers Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok captured it on CCD images taken through a 0.4-metre reflector.