UPDATED 11/29 All along, astronomers knew that there was a real possibility that Comet ISON would not survive its passage by the sun. Now it seems like the comet may in fact be in the middle of a catastrophic disintegration, based on the latest images from NASA's SOHO observatory. In this view, the comet's tail splits in two, and the trail of the comet seems to shrink and peter out closer to the sun. It's not clear yet what is happening, but this sure looks like the comet's last act.
Comet ISON's last stand? NASA's SOHO spacecraft watches the trail of the comet toward the sun (blotted out in the middle). Credit: NASA/SOHO I previewed this possibility in my feature article in Discover magazine several weeks ago: Maybe some diminished portion of the comet will remain intact; maybe it will break apart and disperse entirely. Either way, the public unraveling ...
