Comet approaching Mars
Publisher's note: Even if one isn't interested in celestial happenings, this promises to be a spectacular event, and we are very much looking forward to it.
Fox News: Earthlings may be treated to a dazzling celestial display this fall as Comet ISON makes a suicidal plunge toward the sun. But spacecraft exploring Mars is poised to get close-up views of the icy wanderer first.
"Comet ISON is paying a visit to the Red Planet," astronomer Carey Lisse of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab, said in a statement. "On Oct 1, the comet will pass within 0.07 AU from Mars, about six times closer than it will ever come to Earth."
One AU, or astronomical unit, is the distance between the Earth and sun, about 93 million miles. Comet ISON's Mars flyby, at 0.07 AU, will be about 6.5 million miles.