Death of Comet ISON Captured by NASA's STEREO Spacecraft. Or Maybe Not!

Comet Ison streaks toward the sun and emerges from its encounter as not much more than a ball of dust. (Source: NASA/STEREO) |Update 10:30 a.m. 11/29/13: As I noted in my first update immediately below, Comet ISON seems to be showing new signs of life. I'm now working on a new post about that. I should be able to publish it by the end of the day, so please check back. In the meantime, a mea culpa: On its closest approach to the sun, ISON really did not seem to have a pulse — but I should have waited before declaring it dead. Although scientists were indeed speaking as if it had met its demise, I should have waited for a more definitive assessment. There is also one other intriguing possibility: Comet ISON may be alive and dead at the same time. For an explanation of that, please come back ...